Where our children spend most of their social lives learning new things and making friendships often comes with the harsh realities of substance abuse. Schools in the Permian Basin and the Concho Valley are relatively safe, but it is important to know the challenges our children and students face in order to make our community healthier. The following data has been compiled for our recently published Regional Needs Assessment. The data below conveys the prevalence of substance use in our local middle and high schools, as well as college campuses. Communicating with our children, peers, and students about these statistics is an important step to take to rid our community from the risks associated with alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Statewide Data in 2015:
61% of college students have drank alcohol in the past 30 days
27% of college students have used tobacco in the past 30 days
18% of college students have smoked marijuana in the past 30 days
23% of students drive after drinking at least once a month
There was a significant increase in the percentage of students who said they have driven drunk or stoned in the past month from 12% in 2013 to 13% in 2015
About 25% of students said they had ridden in a car with someone who was high or drunk.
Reported usage of cocaine or crack has increased, as has use of marijuana (2% and 4% increases respectively).
Only 22% of college students reportedly claimed marijuana is only “somewhat dangerous”
Ector County Data
Number of active alcohol retail permits: 539
There were 313 DUI-related crashes in 2015, involving 16 fatalities
Odessa College- most recent data from 2014 school year
6 Drug Abuse Violations (School Discipline)
69 Liquor Law Violations (School Discipline)
UTPB- most recent data from 2014 school year
26 Drug Abuse Violations (Arrests)
12 more resulted in judicial referrals
35 Liquor Law Violations (Arrests)
4 more resulted in judicial referrals
Midland County Data
Number of active alcohol retail permits: 450
There were 219 DUI-related crashes in 2015, involving 14 fatalities
Midland College
13 Liquor Law Violations (Arrests)
2 more resulted in school discipline
0 Drug Abuse Violations
Student DisciplineIn the 2015-2016 school year, there were 14,504 (11%) students from DSHS Region 9 that received some sort of discipline while they were in school. Of the 11% of disciplined students, these students accumulated over 42, 000 records (independent incidents documented). Therefore, each one of the 11% of students who received discipline were in the office repeatedly and averaged about 3.5 incidents per child. Of the 199 students that were expelled in Region 9, 152 of these students were from Midland ISD. In 2010-2011, there were 41 drug and alcohol related expulsions out of 154 transgressions at Midland ISD. The next year (2011-2012), those numbers actually decreased to 32 drug-related expulsions out of 134 different offenses at Midland ISD. In 2012-2013, the number of drug-related expulsions bumped back up to 48. At Central High School in San Angelo, the number of students involved in reported drug incidents jumped from 14 in school year 2012-13 to 47 for school year 2014-15. In that same period, Lake View High School in San Angelo went from 6 to 25 and Central Freshman Campus increased from 9 to 16. At the middle school level in San Angelo, Glenn and Lincoln Middle Schools, based on 2014-15 numbers, have relatively low student totals — with three students or fewer reported. Lincoln showed a steep decline, from 26 students involved with controlled substances the previous year. Lee's numbers fluctuated between 6 to 15 students per year over the past three school years. By Kevin ThompsonRegional EvaluatorPrevention Resource Center- Region 9kthompson@pbrcada.org
Published August 5, 2016.