AUGUSTA – The results of the latest in a series of surveys of alcohol and drug use among Maine sixth- through 12th-graders shows an across the board drop in use between 1995 and 2000.

Over that period, the number of students drinking alcohol in the month prior to taking the survey fell from 38 percent of all sixth- through 12th-graders to just under 31 percent, according to the report by the state’s Office of Substance Abuse.

Marijuana use in the last month slid from 19.4 percent to 15.4 percent, according to the Maine Youth Drug and Alcohol Use Survey, which has been conducted four times since 1995.

The prevalence of having tried at least one cigarette during the respondent’s lifetime dropped from nearly 53 percent to just over 42 percent. The number of students smoking in the month prior to taking the survey tumbled from 25 percent to a little more than 17 percent.

The prevalence of students having used LSD or other hallucinogens slipped from 9.7 percent to 7.6 percent.

And the use of inhalants fell by nearly half, from 8.7 percent to 4.7 percent.

The survey did not ask questions about the use of opiates, such as heroin or OxyContin, or “club” drugs such as XTC and GHB. The 2002 survey is scheduled to include those drugs, said Kim Johnson, director of the Office of Substance Abuse, which is part of the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services.

Because of changes in the way the surveys have been conducted over the years, the report notes that comparisons of alcohol and drug use over time must be handled with caution.

But because the trends in Maine mirror national trends, the comparisons included in this year’s report have merit, Johnson said.

“The only reason we feel like maybe we can compare the figures is because the national data is saying the same thing,” Johnson added.

The rates of drug and alcohol usage among Maine students in the past 30 days, according to the survey, are right in line with national figures. However, Maine students were more likely to have used marijuana than their national counterparts. The same was true last year, but the difference between Maine students’ usage and the national figure shrank considerably from 1999 to 2000.

The survey was conducted by Pan Atlantic Consultants in Portland, a public polling firm. The survey was developed by the University of Washington with input from seven states, including Maine, that are part of a five-year research project.

The Office of Substance Abuse asked all public schools in the state with any combination of sixth through 12th grades to participate.

A total of 180 of the 449 schools submitted data, a response rate of 40 percent. Altogether, 30,491 students returned usable questionnaires.

While the number of schools participating fell from the 212 that took part in 1999, the number of usable questionnaires jumped from last year’s 22,162.

Johnson was pleased with the rising number of usable returns. She also noted that though the school response rate had fallen, there was still a good balance of schools from around the state. Only Franklin and Lincoln counties were markedly under-represented.

There was also a good mix of rural and urban schools among the respondents, she said.

The report includes suggestions for how schools and local groups can use the data for prevention programs. The advice also tells what strategies do not work when it comes to alcohol, tobacco and drug use. The ineffective tactics include information-only programs about the negative effects of drugs; programs that only focus on self-esteem; scare tactics; ex-addict testimonials as a universal prevention strategy; and one time, single strategy prevention campaigns.

Superintendents of all the schools that participated in the survey will receive both the local data and the statewide data, according to Johnson.

Ways to ensure effective approaches, according to the report, are to establish comprehensive programs at both the school and community level; involve youths in planning and evaluating programs; and deal with the factors that make it more likely that youths will turn to alcohol, tobacco or drugs.