Drug use among juvenile arrestees in the San Diego region was down slightly in 2020, according to a San Diego Association of Governments report released Thursday.
In the report, "2020 Juvenile Arrestee Drug Use in the San Diego Region," 60% of the youth interviewed tested positive for at least one illicit drug, lower than the 62% in 2019, but still the second-highest positive rate since 2000.
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Nearly all — 96% — of the juveniles interviewed in 2020 reported ever trying an illicit substance and the majority also reported recent use of at least one of these substances — 90% in the last year and 82% in the last 30 days. In addition, two-thirds reported having tried all three "gateway drugs," alcohol, tobacco and marijuana.
The youth surveyed were asked about their perception and use of various drugs, and the study found that over time, a greater percentage of those interviewed reported that marijuana was the first drug they ever tried in 2020 — 46%. Fewer perceived that marijuana could be "extremely" or "very bad" for a user, around 20%. Of those juveniles who ever tried marijuana, first use was around the age of 11, and of those who used over the past 30 days, used it for just over 18 days on average.
"Last year was an unprecedented year that affected all of us, including our youth," said Cynthia Burke, SANDAG director of research and program management. "It is important to note that over time, the justice system has focused on detaining fewer youth in custody, which has affected the populations we interview.
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"The juveniles who are detained are exposed to variety of risk factors and lack support that we as a community have a responsibility to address," Burke said. "Our goal with information from this report is to shed light on opportunities for continued collaboration."
Other notable highlights among juveniles booked in 2020 include:
— 54% of youth reported abusing prescription drugs;
— 48% reported contact with the Child Welfare System and 44% been in foster care;
— 46% have been diagnosed with mental health issues and 26% have thought about killing themselves; and
— 84% have vaped before, and two-thirds of those have done so at school.
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Since 2000, SANDAG, through its Substance Abuse Monitoring program, has conducted interviews in local detention facilities. The program helps identify drug use trends among adult and juvenile offender populations to develop prevention strategies for the San Diego region.
