high) (11.1%) − other drug categories were not assessed. This survey also revealed that a significant portion of 4th graders report that they never heard of cannabis (26.1%), inhalants (16%), nicotine (6%), and alcohol (3.6%). Taken together, data suggests that youth may initiate first sipping or trying substances in late childhood (as young as 9), and incidents of substance use initiation increase from late childhood into early adolescence. Notably, although some youth may be sipping alcohol or trying tobacco, the vast majority of 9 and 10 year olds are substance-naïve and indeed may not have heard of several drug categories. Thus, studies assessing this age group need to avoid exposing substance-naïve youth to new substance use concepts.
