A comparison of American Indian and non-Indian fourth to sixth graders' rates of drug use.

Although there is a large body of literature examining adolescent drug use, little is known about drug use rates among younger children. This paper presents such information for both American Indian and non-Indian fourth to sixth grade students for "having gotten drunk," the "use of marijuana," the "use of inhalants," and the use of "other" drugs over a 10-year period. Generally, the rates of use for Indian youth are higher, with a particularly high rate of marijuana use. Despite historically high rates of inhalant use among Indian youth, their rates are now similar to their non-Indian counterparts. Indian fourth to sixth grade students are displaying patterns of use that parallel those of older students with the possible implication that they are subjected earlier to societal attitudes that encourage drug use.