Schools

Middletown Students Report Higher Substance Use Than RI Average

Students in Middletown schools reported they use more drug use than students in other Rhode Island communities, according to a special report.

Olga Enger's profile picture
Olga Enger, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
|

Written by William Rupp and Olga Enger

Students in Middletown schools reported they use more drug use than students in other Rhode Island communities, according to a special report released for all of the state’s communities on Monday, Dec. 9.

The data was compiled by the Department of Epidemiology in the Brown University School of Public Health for the Rhode Island State Epidemiology and Outcomes Workgroup headed by Brown Professor Stephen Buka.

Find out what's happening in Middletownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The workgroup is a cross-state agency formed because there is no single state agency that is responsible for drug-use prevention, reporting and treatment, said Buka.

According to the results, Middletown High School students rank (in comparison to Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns):
  • 6 in being under the influence of drugs in school;
  • 8 in the use of marijuana in the past 30 days,
  • 13 in their illegal use of cocaine;
  • 12 in their use of prescription drugs such as Oxycontin, Percocet, Vicodin, codeine, and Adderall;
High school students reported they used more prescription drugs, marijuana, cocaine, smoked cigarettes, alcohol and other drugs than students in other communities. More Middletown students reported they were given drugs at school than other students who responded to the study.  

Middletown High School students also reported higher rates of depression.

Middle school students rank:
  • 11 in using inhalants,
  • 19 in marijuana use,
  • 25 in using prescription drugs,
  • 20 in current alcohol use,
  • 20 in overall alcohol use.

The students are asked questions such as:

Find out what's happening in Middletownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • Have you tried prescription drugs without a doctor’s prescription?
  • Have you tried marijuana?
  • Have you tried inhalants?
  • Have you tried cocaine?
  • Have you been under the influence of drugs at school during the past 12 months?
Click here to see the results for yourself at the RI Prevention Resource Center. 

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Middletown