ABC PREVENTION COALITION YOUTH FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONSPAGE 6 ABC

Section One A: Alcohol 1) community norms; 2) consumption; 3) access/availability; and 4) personal consequences.

Alcohol Norms in Community / School

How would you describe the local culture or norms related to alcohol in your community?

Your community can include your friends, neighbors, school, people you communicate with on the internet, church, sports groups, clubs, etc.

“Local culture” or “Community Norms” includes: expectations, traditions, and tolerance for advertizing, or drinking game paraphernalia in stores, adults buying alcohol for kids, police attitudes…Or could say: “How would you describe the local culture or norms related to alcohol in your community?”

How can you tell these are the norms? Do you think they are changing?

Why do young people drink? What do you think are the underlying reasons why young people drink? What do young people get from drinking?

Is alcohol associated with certain community or school events? i.e., concerts, fairs, sports, prom, graduation, st patty’s day?

Alcohol Consumption

Who drinks alcohol? Do certain groups of kids drink more than others? Do older teens drink with younger teens? Do ABC HS students get together with college students? to drink? Do ABC HS students go to UMass or other colleges to go to a party? or to hang out?

What do young people drink? beer, wine coolers, liquor, kegs, luge, jello, alcopops, other? Is price a factor?

How much do they drink? Do they binge drink? Is it different based on age? Male or Female? Income? [Can we get this from PNAS?] What are the practices around the drinking? [drinking games?]

When do teens drink? after school, at school, weekdays, weekends, morning, afternoon, evening, around sporting or other events?

Where do young people drink? At home, the “meadows”, in town, bike path; a friend’s house? Do adults know? Are adults around?

What does “peer pressure” look like?

Alcohol Availability / Access

Are there certain stores where you can buy alcohol?

Are youth stealing alcohol from stores? Which ones?

Are youth standing outside retailers and asking adults to buy? Who do they ask? What is the incentive? (Give them some of it, extra $, etc.)

How are youth getting alcohol when they don’t get it from a package store or bar (social sources)?

Who is providing the alcohol? Friends, siblings, parents, strangers? When, under what conditions? Are there special occasions when this occurs? Where do they get their alcohol? Follow the trail…

Are parents providing or just not monitoring / paying attention?

Do you have access at family gatherings or community events?

Alcohol Consequences

Describe ways that drinking alcohol negatively affects you or people close to you in terms of: health; relationships; financial; school; legal; future/jobs/employment? Does knowing this stop you from drinking?

What are some of the down-sides to drinking alcohol? Are these seen as bad (a deterrent) or bragging rights?

Do you talk with your friends/peers about physical harm by drinking? Binge Drinking? [PNAS?] Drinking and sex? Mixing drinking with other substances?

What does monitoring look like for youth when they might be drinking? After school, evenings, weekends?

Section One B: Marijuana 1) community norms; 2) consumption; 3) access/availability; and 4) personal consequences.

Marijuana Norms in Community / School

What is the local culture of Marijuana use in ABC Community or at your school?

How can you tell these are the norms? What is your exposure to these norms? How is the culture changing?

Is marijuana associated with certain community or school events? i.e., concerts, fairs, sports, prom, graduation? What do you hear about Ganjafest? Other public or private events where Marijuana is promoted?

Are stores selling paraphernalia to minors? Which ones? Are they checking ID’s?

Are stores selling articles that promote marijuana use (e.g. t-shirts, hats, posters, bumper stickers?)

Is marijuana legal? What, if anything has changed since decriminalization? What do you hear about the medical marijuana dispensaries? Do you think marijuana should be legal? Why? Why not?

Are young people more likely to try marijuana for the first time?

Marijuana Consumption

Who is using marijuana? How old are the kids you see using Marijuana? Do certain groups of kids smoke more than others? Do older teens smoke with younger teens? Do teens smoke with college students? Is there an image associated with teens who use marijuana? i.e., cool; pot-heads;

How is the marijuana being used? Joints, pipes, bongs, brownies, vaporizers, other? Are there any rituals, games? laced with other drugs?

When are teens smoking marijuana? before/after/at school, weekends, sporting events, school break? Are there any specific occasions that they are smoking marijuana?

How much are they smoking marijuana? How often and what quantity? What influences how much they smoke? Is it different based on age? Male or Female? Income…

Where do young people smoke or use Marijuana? At home, on the bike path, in town, a friend’s house? Do adults know? Are adults around?

What does peer pressure look like for using marijuana?

Marijuana Access / Availability

How are youth getting marijuana?

Who is providing the marijuana? Ask about each – and where each gets theirs – we want to follow the trail:

 Friends  Siblings  Parents  Strangers

Are there specific locations where youth can hang out to buy or get marijuana?

Are there specific times when the marijuana is sold?

How is the marijuana being provided (small quantities, large quantities)?

Are youth getting marijuana at local colleges? Are youth attending parties? Which ones?

Are parents providing marijuana? Do parents monitor teens and their friends in their home?

Do you think Medical Marijuana dispensaries will make it easier to get M? Why? What else do you hear about medical marijuana?

Marijuana Consequences

What are some of the down-sides to marijuana?

Do youth fear the consequences – are they meaningful?

Do teens know the risk of physical harm by using Marijuana? once or twice a week? Daily? [PNAS?]

coughing or breathing problems

difficulty remembering things

feeling tired, groggy, or unmotivated

doing poorly on a test or school work

procrastinating or not getting things done

spending more money than you wanted to

had problems at school or work

had problems with your family

Do teens use Marijuana and drive? Ride with a smoker? [PNAS] Is it safe? Will they get stopped by Police?

What does monitoring look like for teens when they might be using marijuana? After school, evenings, weekends?

Do youth feel like they will get caught smoking marijuana? [PNAS] Why/Why not?

 By parents?  By local law enforcement?  At school?

Section One C: Prescription Drug 1) community norms; 2) consumption; 3) access/availability; and 4) personal consequences.

Prescription drugs Consumption

Which Rx drugs are the youth using? (Ritalin, Percocet, Valium, Klonapin, Vicodin, Demerol, Codine, Ketamine…)

What OTC drugs are being abused?

Are Rx drugs or OTC drugs being mixed with other drugs, marijuana, or alcohol?

Why are teens using Rx drugs or OTC drugs? (self medicating; to get high; to do better at school work/test/sports)

When and where are the Rx drugs being used? Daily, certain times, before school, after school, alone, in groups, evenings at parties, concerts, prom, other settings? Is this the same for OTC?

In what quantities are the youth using the prescription drugs? OTC Drugs?

Do you think teens are “hooked” on the Rx or OTC drug? Do you see it leading to using “harder” street drugs?

What do you hear about college students using Rx drugs?

What does peer pressure look like?

Prescription Drug Norms in Community / School

Is it socially acceptable to use Rx drugs for non-medical purposes? How can you tell this? Is this changing in one direction or the other?

What is the exposure of young people to these norms? Advertising? Media?

Prescription Drug Access / Availability

Do you know people who overuse or misuse the drugs that are prescribed to them? Why?

Do teens try to get certain drugs from a doctor?

i.e., ADHD Meds because they want to use them for test-taking?

Where else are the youth getting the Rx drugs? strangers? classmates? where did they get it?

How much do people pay to get Rx drugs for non-medical use?

Are youth taking the Rx drugs from their family “medicine cabinet”? What kinds of drugs?

Are youth taking the drugs from friends or strangers’ homes / “medicine cabinets”?

Where do teens get OTC Drugs? Which OTC? Which stores? pay or steel? From friends?

Prescription Drugs Consequences

Do you see negative effects for people you know who use prescription drugs that are not prescribed to them? in terms of: health; relationships; financial; school; legal; future/jobs/employment? Some Rx drugs more than others? Which ones?

Do teens know the risk of physical harm by using Rx Drugs and OTC drugs? [PNAS?]

Do youth fear the consequences – are they meaningful?

Do teens use Rx drugs or OTC drugs and drive? Ride with someone who was using?

Do youth feel like they will get caught using Rx drugs?

 By parents?  By local law enforcement?  At school?

Section Two A: School Rules; Policies; Consequences (penalties)

What happens when you get caught in school? What does the school do about it?

 drinking alcohol or intoxicated  having or using marijuana at school  Having or using Rx or OTC

Do you think the consequences at your school for drinking or using drugs are strong enough? Too strong?

Are penalties equitable? Are people treated the same?

How do think your teachers feel about Alcohol use; Marijuana use; Prescription Drug Misuse? How can you tell? What messages do you get? Does how teachers feel affect how they enforce rules?

Section Two B: Community; Laws; Consequences (penalties)

What happens if a teenager gets caught by police when drinking?

From PNAS:

There would be no consequence.

I would be given a warning and then let go.

I would be taken home to my parents.

I would be arrested but would get no penalty.

I would be arrested and the court would impose a penalty.

What happens if a teenager gets caught by police when smoking Marijuana?

What happens if a teenager gets caught by police when using Rx or OTC drugs?

What laws are in place that restrict access to and distribution of:

• Rx drugs?

• Marijuana?

• Alcohol?

• Are they enforced?

Are there certain times or places where the laws may be enforced or not? Is there consistent enforcement?

Will kids go to court? Then what happens?

Section Three A: Parent Attitudes

Now I want to talk for a minute about your parent/s or other adults in your life and what messages they give you about alcohol, marijuana, and proscription medication.

Do you talk to your parents or other adults what goes on in the school and community around alcohol and drugs? If no, why not?

Do your parents talk with you about marijuana use? alcohol? Rx Drugs?

What messages do you get from your parents about:

• Alcohol… As long as you don’t get in trouble, do well in school, as long as you are at someone’s home…

• Marijuana… Are the messages different for marijuana? “better to smoke than drink”

• Rx drugs…?

Is there anything about your family’s culture or values or experiences that shape the messages they give you?

[PNAS?] How upset or concerned are your parents? About…Drinking? and driving? Binge Drinking?

About using Marijuana?

About using Rx drugs?

How upset or concerned are other parents?

Section Three B: What rules, standards, and consequences do you have in your family around alcohol? Marijuana? Prescription Rx?

Do parents monitor the Rx drugs or alcohol in the house?

Do they provide clear standards about no use and provide consistent consequences if caught?

Curfew? Parent waits up for you? Checks your breath?

If your parents knew marijuana was going to be involved in a youth party what would they do? alcohol? Rx drugs?

When a teen hosts a party at their house and a parent is home, does the parent allow marijuana or provide marijuana or ignore the situation? Alcohol?

Do parents take a “harm reduction” approach – e.g. let them smoke/drink in a controlled environment? take away the keys?

How common are parties at a person’s home where parents are not home?

Section Three C: What happens if you get caught by parents, guardians, brothers/sisters or other family members?

What do you think most parents do when they find out their teen is drinking or using marijuana?

PNAS: When parents find out their kids have been drinking (smoking M)

they may discuss it, take away privileges, add chores,

take away cell phones, use of the car, etc. In the past

12 months, if your parents found out you were

drinking, how did they respond?

I didn’t drink. (use M)

I drank but I was not caught.

I was caught but there were no consequences.

There were minor consequences.

There were major consequences.

Section Three D: Adult behavior and attitudes

What are parent attitudes toward marijuana for themselves? Do some parents smoke themselves? In front of the youth? What about alcohol? Rx drugs?

Do parents see marijuana use in high school as “inevitable”? College?

Do parents see underage alcohol use in high school as inevitable? College?

Section Four: Solutions and general input (Optional)

What do you think would help 8^th graders wait longer before they try alcohol or marijuana?

How about 9^th or 10^th graders?

What else do you want to say to adults in your community?

Is there anything else you want to say about this topic?

How was for you to participate in this group?

what keeps you from doing it or doing more often or doing it in larger quantities?

If there is no organized alcohol and other drug free community party after prom, would you like to see one? How could this kind of party be set up so that young people would want to go to it?