The results of an Ontario-wide survey are proving to be a wake-up call for local police tasked with educating youth on the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

Police were alarmed to learn that students in the North Simcoe-Muskoka region ranked above the provincial average in several categories dealing with drug and alcohol use.

OPP Const. Sean McTeague, who assists with an Orillia-based drug-resistance program aimed at elementary school students, said the survey results speak to a need for a continued effort by police and educators.

"We hope to arm the students with as much truthful information on the consequences, not just health-wise, but consequences with the law and socially, with friends and family," McTeague said.

The long-running survey is conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and covers issues ranging from substance abuse and mental health to so-called "risk behaviours," such as gambling.

In some cases the gap between local teens and students across Ontario is significant.

The number of students in Grades 9 to 12 who reported using alcohol in the past year was 10-per-cent higher in North Simcoe-Muskoka than the Ontario average, at 83 per cent.

Likewise, the percentage of students who admitted to binge drinking, pot smoking and hallucinogen use was also higher.

The number that reported driving after drinking was slightly larger in this region than the provincial average, at about 12 per cent.

Even higher was the number of students who admitted to driving after smoking pot, with more than 18 per cent in North Simcoe-Muskoka versus the Ontario average of 15.6 per cent. More than three quarters of this region's study participants reported drinking at a hazardous level; that is, a pattern of drinking that increases the likelihood of future medical and physical problems.

McTeague, meanwhile, said police are determined to continue educating local students on the realities of drug and alcohol use, and the impacts of those substances on body, mind and family.

In the same breath, he acknowledged that individuals ultimately must decide whether or not to take drugs.

"Those who choose to be involved with it (after being informed of the risks) realize what the truth is, and for whatever reason are making what we consider to be bad choices," he added.

More than 6,300 Ontario students in Grades 7 through 12 participated in the 2007 survey, with 119 schools represented.

The study did find slight decreases in cigarette smoking, as well as methamphetamine and crack cocaine use over the past two years.

The non-medical use of the highly addictive prescription painkiller OxyContin doubled to two per cent over the same period.

Participation in the survey was voluntary and anonymous, officials noted.