Tiverton Middle School Students Among Highest in Smoking, Marijuana Use

Written by William Rupp and Sandy McGee 

Students in Tiverton schools are among the highest users of marijuana and illegal drugs in school in Rhode Island, 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.

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, Tiverton High School students rank (in comparison to Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns):

• 4 in the use of marijuana; 
• 6 in being under the influence of drugs in school;
• 13 in alcohol use at school; 
• 34 in their illegal use of cocaine;
• 33 in their use of prescription drugs such as Oxycontin, Percocet, Vicodin, codeine, and Adderall. 

Tiverton Middle School students rank:

• 1 in smoking; 
• 2 in marijuana use;
• 6 in using inhalants;
• 11 in current alcohol use; 
• 11 in prescription drug use;
• 13 in overall alcohol use.

The students are asked straight-forward questions such as:

• 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?