Drug abuse in junior high school populations.

Illegal drug use in a population of 3,807 junior high school students in a suburban area appeared strongly correlated with family instability, student personal problems, and low academic performance. Use of tranquilizers, amphetamines, and sedatives was often motivated by attempts at self-medication to reduce painful feelings. Over 14% of illegal users took an overdose with about half of them intentional. Illegal users and nonusers agreed that drug education programs and the threat of legal penalties had little influence in their decisions about drugs.