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Tom Callan, KSL Newsradio One national survey finds that 7 percent of fourth-graders have tried alcohol, but when it comes to preteen alcohol abuse, Utah defies the national trend.
The Utah Office of Education does not track fourth-grade alcohol use, but Vern Larsen with the Office of Education says they do track sixth-graders. "Sixth-graders who have ever used is about 12 percent," he explained.
Larsen says regular sixth-grade use of alcohol is about 1.8 percent and falling. He credits the "Mind over Matter" music CD warning about the dangers.
He says a fourth-grader wrote him a letter saying, "I love your CD ‘Mind over Matter.' Now I know what drinking does to your brain."
For more information on the "Mind over Matter" program, click the related link.
