"The most common, of course, is alcohol – but one thing that's sort of interesting in those numbers is that the second most-used drug among teenagers is now electronic vapors products, or e-cigarettes."
Augustine says the drug problem hurts Indiana's economy, too, as jobs go unfilled when applicants can't pass the drug screening. He adds substance abuse and mental health go hand in hand. The report says one in 20 Indiana children has lived with someone who is mentally ill or suicidal – which also means a high percentage of kids suffer from serious behavioral problems.
Augustine says there is good news in the Kids Count report. It shows a continued decline in the teen birth rate.
"Now, we're seeing it at it's lowest rate ever recorded. About 14 in every 1,000 teen girls between the ages of 15 and 17 gave birth in Indiana."
Indiana in-state college tuition and fees rank seventh-lowest in the nation, increasing only seven percent in the past five years. And for the first time ever, more than half of fourth-graders who took the National Assessment of Educational Progress scored well in the math portion of the test. Augustine says the best thing adults can do for kids is to set a good example for them.
