Drug Use Study

More New Jersey youngsters are hitting the harder stuff when it comes to drugs. A Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey study released Thursday found the number of seventh- and eighth-graders who have used cocaine and crack has doubled between 1995 and this year. The number of youngsters who say they've smoked pot or used alcohol is down slightly. Officials say it's important for parents to talk to their children early about drug use. Children questioned whose parents began discussing drugs by the sixth grade were 57 percent less likely to have used them. In a news conference, Governor Whitman urged parents to talk to their children. "It does make a difference and it's worth it," Whitman said.