SAN DIEGO — Vaping is on the rise among juvenile arrestees in San Diego, according to a new survey about drug use in the population from the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG).
The report, which is one part of a countywide Substance Abuse Monitoring program, looks to contextualize risk factors and trends with substance use among populations within the justice system to help guide prevention strategies.
For the study, 42 youth from the East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility and 14 from the San Diego Achievement Centers participated in an anonymous survey, according to SANDAG.
According to the report, about 91% of all juveniles interviewed in the 2022 study said they had ever vaped, climbing about 15% since 2019. Three-fourths of respondents reported vaping at school, SANDAG said.
Roughly 96% of the respondents also reported having tried at least Illicit substance use last year, the survey said — a trend, which has held steady over the last few years.
About 59% of respondents said they have tried all three gateway drugs: marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco.
Marijuana and alcohol were the substances most frequently tried among the study’s respondents, with many reporting that they started use of the substances around the age of 12.
According to the report, when asked how they obtained alcohol, most said someone over 21-years-old gave it to them or they took it from their home or someone else’s.
Just under half of the respondents in the survey reported illegal use of prescription drugs or over-the-counter medication, the report found, accounting for a roughly 12% increase from last year.
In 2022, about 13% of the youth who responded to the survey reported having experienced an overdose.
“The results in this report are concerning because we continue to see high levels of substance use among juvenile arrestees,” SANDAG Principal Criminal Justice Researcher Octavio Rodriguez said in a release. “While the efforts to help youth avoid entering the justice system are positive, we need to continue to address the underlying risk factors related to substance use among youth.”
Many of the juvenile arrestees interviewed in the survey reported having experienced additional risk factors for substance abuse and criminal activity.
Roughly 57% of respondents reported having parents with a history being in the justice system, according to the report, while 51% reported parental substance abuse.
Just under half of all respondents reported previously running away from home. The two most common reasons cited were family and personal issues, SANDAG said.
About 80% have also reported previous arrests, while 91% reported being previously detained at a juvenile facility.
About 55% to 56% respondents said they had participated in risky behaviors associated with substance abuse, including riding in a car with a driver who is under the influence and going to school inebriated.
