THE National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) is reporting that fewer teenagers are using illegal drugs or drinking alcohol across Jamaica, but the numbers remain concerning.

According to the NCDA, its recent Global School-Based Health Survey (GSHS) — which had 3,058 respondents from 32 schools, with 76 per cent participation among students and 100 per cent from schools — showed that the consumption of alcohol by students in grades seven to 11 dropped from 52.5 per cent in 2010 to 38.8 per cent in 2026.

At the same time, the number of children who started consumption of alcohol before age 14 has decreased from 80.2 per cent in 2010 to 71.5 per cent this year. Also, teenagers who get drunk after the consumption of alcoholic beverages dropped from 35.5 per cent in 2010 to 21.5 per cent in 2026.

But 10.3 per cent of adolescents still attend school under the influence of alcohol, and 10.6 per cent are exposed to advertisements about alcohol.

The NCDA — an agency of the Ministry of Health and Wellness — believes the overall message for positive trends has been working; however, it says continued action is needed to strengthen early prevention programmes, enforce underage drinking laws, reduce youth exposure to alcohol marketing, and increase parent and school engagements.

The survey also found that the use of ganja among adolescents declined from 21.5 per cent in 2017 to 15.7 per cent in 2026, a trend welcomed by the NCDA.

However, the organisation says it is concerned that 24.3 per cent of adolescents have easy access to the weed, while 5.5 per cent continued to use ecstasy, also known as molly.

Ecstasy is a synthetic psychoactive drug with both stimulant and psychedelic effects. Teens use it at parties and other gatherings, but it can cause dangerous spikes in body temperature, dehydration, high blood pressure, and heart failure.

With some students still attending school under the influence of substances because of the easy access to ganja and ecstasy, the NCDA says it will be expanding its substance-use prevention programme, aimed at strengthening prevention, delaying initiation, reducing access, and providing timely support for young people.

It also plans to improve the monitoring of emerging drugs.

In the meantime, the GSHS found that physical fights among students declined from 50.1 per cent in 2010 to 27 per cent in 2026, while injuries from fights dropped from 59.6 per cent in 2010 to 49 per cent in 2026.

In addition, the survey says bullying dropped from 40.2 per cent in 2016 to 27 per cent in 2026.

However, the survey found that 15 per cent of teenagers faced cyber bullying in the past year but there was no comparative figure with 2010. Another 16.9 per cent experienced bullying off school compounds.

The NCDA said despite a drop in physical fights among students, it will be strengthening its violence-prevention programme as it seeks to maintain safe school policies.

It added that it will be stepping up its anti-bullying initiatives to promote respect, inclusion, and a culture of kindness.

“Safe environments are essential for academic success and healthy development,” said the NCDA.

“Violence and injuries impact students’ physical and mental health, learning and well-being. Bullying and cyberbullying can lead to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and social isolation,” the NCDA added.

The GSHS is an international gold-standard survey developed by World Health Organization, in collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the United States-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It measures health behaviours and protective factors among students 13 to 17 years of age and is used in 110 countries.