Alcohol continues to be the drug of choice among Worthington teenagers, but marijuana is gaining in popularity.

According to the results of a county-wide survey presented to the Worthington Board of Education on Monday, 40.2 percent of Worthington seniors reported drinking once a month or more often. The figure was 30.5 percent for juniors, 25.1 percent for sophomores and 15.6 percent for freshmen.

Following the trend in Franklin County, the likelihood of a student drinking regularly decreased between 2003 and 2006.

The trend was the same for marijuana use across Franklin County - but not in Worthington, where use increased between 2003 and 2006.

Board vice president Jennifer Best said the increased use of marijuana was a "surprise and disappointment."

In other school districts, the use of marijuana has been decreasing since 2000. But in Worthington, reported use increased at every grade level but ninth. The survey is given to sixth- through 12th-graders.

Among seniors, 24.1 percent reported using marijuana once a month or more often. That is an increase from 23 percent in 2003 and 22 percent in 2000.

Among juniors, regular use was reported by 20.3 percent. Sophomores reported regular use by 13.7 percent, and freshmen by 10.5 percent.

Smoking tobacco is on the decline across the county and in Worthington, where 17.5 percent of seniors reported smoking daily in 2006, compared to 23.3 percent in 2003, and 27 percent in 2000.

Administrator Jim McElligott told the board that the results were generally encouraging.

"A large percentage of our students continue to make wonderful decisions," he said.

The PPAAUS assessment has been given to sixth- through 12th-graders in Franklin County since 1988. Last year, 4,550 Worthington students completed the survey, which covers issues like bullying and cheating as well as drug and alcohol use.

The survey also attempts to ascertain how students make decisions about drug and alcohol use, and points to the importance of attitudes conveyed by families.

"Strong family values against use will have more to do with a child deciding not to use than any other factor," McElligott told the board.

Board member Marc Schare was disappointed when McElligott said that survey results from similar suburban communities were not available. The school districts that started the survey in 1988 decided they did not want to compare results, he explained.

"That's nuts, that's absolutely nuts," Schare said.

Board member David Bressman was disappointed that the results could not be pinpointed to specific schools within the district.

Bressman said he has heard rumors that there is more of a problem at Worthington Kilbourne than at Thomas Worthington, and he would like to know if that is the case.

Board member Charlie Wilson said he has heard rumors that some of the athletic team captains have reputations of smoking and drinking. He asked McElligott what could be done to improve that situation.

McElligott said that if team leaders are found to smoke or use alcohol or drugs, they lose their leadership positions.

Other results of the survey are:

When alcohol and/or drug use occurs, 96.7 percent of the time it happens in the community.

If marijuana use occurs, it happens 88.4 percent of the time in the community.

Asked if they would be willing to use someone else's prescription drugs to get high, 76.7 percent of seniors said "no." The percentage increased as the grade level decreased.

1.5 percent of high school students reported using over-the-counter drugs to get high. The middle school figure was 0.6 percent.

96 percent of high school students said they never used performance enhancing drugs.

5.9 percent of seniors have used club drugs, 10.7 percent have used cocaine, and 14.2 percent have used hallucinogens.

79.5 percent of middle school students and 91 percent of high school students indicated they had never been physically bullied.

81 percent of middle school students and 87 percent of high school students had never feared for their physical safety at school.

68 percent of middle school students and 55 percent of high school students reported they never cheated on a test.