Underage drinking is up by one measure and down by another in Suwannee County, while marijuana use has jumped and abuse of prescription pain pills remains a growing concern.

According to the 2010 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey, local results of which were released Dec. 15, Suwannee is ranked eighth among 66 Florida counties (Okeechobee did not participate) in lifetime alcohol use by youth ages 10-17, with a 56.1 percent positive response rate. Suwannee is one of only 14 counties to see an increase in this number since 2008 (54.6 percent), the last year for which county results are available. The 2010 state average was 51.5 percent.

However, only 29.4 percent of Suwannee youth said they had used alcohol within the last 30 days, a modest drop from 2008 (31.9 percent). The 2010 state average was 28.8 percent.

According to Bruce Grant, director of the Governor’s Office of Drug Control, the 30-day measure is the most telling, as it signals ongoing activity and not just a one-time experiment.

The lifetime figures “tell me kids are curious about (alcohol), but that norms in the community and families are so strong they don’t progress to actual use,” Grant said by phone from his Tallahassee office.

Meanwhile, binge drinking, another important measure, is also down in Suwannee.

When asked if they had binged on alcohol (defined in the survey as five drinks in one sitting) within the last two weeks, 15.9 percent said yes, down from 20.5 in 2008 and 24.1 in 2006. The state average was 14.1 percent.

Results of the alcohol survey were encouraging to Mary Taylor, executive director of the Suwannee Coalition, a local advocacy group fighting underage drinking and substance abuse. She credits a cooperative effort among various local groups.

“Law enforcement, the faith community and local officials have all come together better than we have before,” she said.

She also sited hands-on projects by the Coalition to raise alcohol awareness. Recently the group applied warning labels to alcoholic beverages at local S&S convenience stores, with the owner’s permission.

Despite apparent gains in the fight against underage drinking, marijuana use by young people has spiked in Suwannee since 2008.

Nearly a quarter (24.8 percent) of respondents reported having tried marijuana, a significant jump over 2008 (20.4 percent). The 2010 state average was 23.8 percent.

Thirty-day use also spiked, rising to 14.2 percent from 10.1. The 2010 state average was 13 percent.

Abuse of prescription pain pills such as Oxycontin remains a serious concern as well.

Suwannee ranks 11th in Florida in lifetime use of such drugs (10.2 percent; state average is 7.4) and 13th in 30-day use (4.3 percent, down from 4.4 in 2008; 2010 state average is 2.9 percent).

Mary Taylor of the Coalition said prescription and street drugs are the group’s next target.

“For the past four years we have concentrated on underage drinking,” she said. “We most certainly are going to be looking at (other drugs) before moving on. It is of great concern.”

Coalition Chairperson Carla Blalock noted the recent formation of the group’s prescription drug task force as evidence of how seriously the problem is being taken.