BLOOMINGTON – Overall drug use by Indiana middle and high school students continued to decline this year, according to an annual survey.

Alcohol and cigarette use decreased or held steady for students in sixth through 12th grades, according to the Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University’s School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation.

The survey released this week found an increased average age of first-time use of tobacco, alcohol and marijuana. The average age of first use for cigarettes was 12.7, 13 for alcohol and 13.8 for marijuana.

Researchers say younger teens tend to get alcohol from their homes and families, while older students get it from friends or stores.

“These results suggest that youth drinking could be reduced if parents and family members better understood the risk of harm to youth that alcohol presents, as well as ways to prevent youth from accessing alcohol kept in the home,” said Ruth Gassman, director of the Indiana Prevention Resource Center.

The survey showed an increase in the percentage of high school students using smokeless tobacco. About 1.5 percent of ninth-graders used smokeless tobacco daily in 2001, compared to 1.9 percent in 2008. About 2.9 percent of juniors used smokeless tobacco in 2001, compared to 3.6 percent this year.

Older students may be replacing cigarettes with smokeless tobacco, Gassman said.

“The reasons for substitution may have to do with cigarette price increases and/or smoking prohibition in public places such as schools, malls and restaurants,” she said.

Fewer students reported using methamphetamine this year than last – the meth use trend either held steady or declined in all grade levels.

The survey also showed an increase in the use of injection drugs such as heroin. Grades 10 and 12 reported all-time highs for using needle drugs monthly: 1.2 percent for both seniors and sophomores.

The voluntary survey was given at 448 public and private schools and included more than 150,000 students.