Why are younger kids using inhalants?
Inhalants are the only class of substances that younger kids are more likely to abuse than older kids are. Part of it is that they’re accessible, they’re around the house and it’s something kids will try since a seventh or eighth grader is less likely to go out and get marijuana from someone. So we see its use drop off as kids get older. Some of that drop is kids trading off, going from inhalant to marijuana use. And some of it a certain kind of stigma that inhalant use isn’t really “in” when you’re older, that it’s for “little kids.” Q: How significant is the increase? A: It’s subtle. In 2003, the lifetime trial of inhalants by age 18 was 18 percent. In 2004, it’s 19 percent. But what concerned us more this year is the decrease in the perception of risk. In 2002, 72 percent of kids said sniffing or huffing can kill you. In 2004, that’s dropped to 66 percent. This is what we call a beacon. We haven’t yet seen the real change in behavior but we’ve definitely seen a change in the percept
