Teens' Attitudes Toward Meth Released by Meth Project Study

On Wednesday, the Meth Project released the results of the first known survey to examine attitudes and behaviors American teens demonstrate toward methamphetamine.

According to The Meth Project, teenagers perception of the drug places a large number of youth at risk. According to survey results, one in three teens consider there is little to no danger in trying the drug. 1 in 4 surveyed perceives that there are certain benefits to usage including weight loss and elimination of those periods of boredom.

According to the study, more than half of those surveyed never discussed the subject of Methamphetamine with their parents, more than one fourth believe the drug is easy to get and one in ten have had someone offer them a sample of the drug.

Nitsa Zuppas, the Meth Project executive director, states the findings indicate that too many American teens are not aware of the danger in taking the drug. According to Nitsa, the drug has deadly and debilitating effects on the body. Educating teenagers and their parents about the long-term effects will decrease the number of individuals trying Meth.

The Math project is conducted frequently statewide in an attempt to understand teen attitudes towards drugs, track trends and changes over time. This project however, is the first of its kind to be conducted nationwide.

Dr Rick Rawson, associate director of integrated substance abuse programs at UCLA states, "The 2007 National Meth Use and Attitudes Survey is an important contribution to the body of knowledge about Meth usage, attitudes and societal norms related to methamphetamine."

12- to 17-year-old junior and senior high school students attending one of 43 randomly selected schools across the nation were surveyed.

The Meth project is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. It is a national non-profit organization aimed at reducing first time Meth use. The focus is administered thru public service messages, public policy announcements and community outreach. The project is funded by a grant from the Siebel foundation.

According to the Survey: