The aim was to evaluate the prevalence of the consumption of psychoactive substances among students from the public school in Goianá, Minas Gerais. A descriptive, cross sectional study was performed using a structured questionnaire developed by the World Health Organization. The participants were 415 students, 57.1% were elementary school students and 42.9% were high school students. 49.4% were female and 47.5% were male. The majority of the students were 13-15 years old and from the C social class. Alcohol was the substance most frequently used among the young people (64.6%), as the prevalence founded in the national sample. The main used substances were: solvents (11.1%), amphetamines (2.9%), anxyolitics (2.9%), cannabis (2.7%) and hallucinogens (1.4%). Women presented a higher pattern of use for the illicit psychoactive substances. The Goianá students presented a lower consumption of marijuana and cocaine in comparison with students from Belo Horizonte, the state capital. The epidemiologic research points to the necessity of formulating public policies, considering local particularities.
epidemiology; students; psychotropic drugs
