Coventry High School Students Among Biggest Users of Cocaine, Prescription Drugs

Students at Coventry High School are among the biggest users of cocaine and illegal prescription drugs in Rhode Island, but some of the least likely to consume alcohol, according to a special report released for all of the state’s 39 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, Coventry High School students rank:

• fourth in their illegal use of cocaine;
• fifth in their use of prescription drugs such as Oxycontin, Percocet, Vicodin, Codeine, and Adderall not prescribed to them by a physician (third when asked if they had used in the past 30 days);
• sixth in the use of inhalants, also known as “huffing”;
• fifteenth in their use of marijuana (eleventh in the use of marijuana in the past 30 days);
• eighteenth in being under the influence of drugs in school;
• eighth in other illegal drug use.

CHS students rank well below the state averages for most alcohol-use categories. 

Alan Shawn Feinstein Middle School students also rank well below the state averages for all drug and alcohol-use categories.

The substance-use data came from RIDE’s SurveyWorks! 2012-2013 and 2011-2012 results, said Buka. Students are asked to go on online to complete the surveys at least once a year. Parents have been able to opt-in or opt-out their children in years past, said Buka. 

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?

Click here or see the attached PDF to see Coventry's results for yourself. Data for the 38 additional Rhode Island communities can be found at the RI Prevention Resource Center, by clicking here.