Drug use among teenagers is declining, and it's not because of any multimillion-dollar anti-drug campaign.

NewsChannel5 reports that experts are crediting the decrease to more communication with parents.

A study by the Partnership For a Drug Free America found that teenagers are less likely to pick up drugs if they have a heart-to-heart talk with their parents. The study also found that more teens are getting the message if it's delivered by their parents.

"It's much different coming from your parents, because for me I care a lot about what my parents think," high school student Amy Carpenter said.

Elaine George has frequent talks with her teenage son about drugs.

"You are relatively confident that a child knows that they shouldn't be, but how would they handle it under a pressure situation, and kids are in that situation every day," George said.

High school student Jessica Braddock knows what that peer pressure is like. "I think it makes more of a difference what your friends do, what your friends think about it, 'cause it's a lot of peer pressure," Braddock said.

Drug counselor Dr. Stephen Sroka advises parents to look for the right moment to have a discussion.

"You're driving in a car, and there's a drug bust, and you may say, 'Honey, what does that mean to you?'" Sroka said. "'These kids, they got busted smoking marijuana in school -- what do you think about that?' You can make it a teachable, talkable moment without the big talk."

Sroka also says that the best place to have a conversation with your child is in the car, where they become a captive audience.

The problem is that not enough parents are having this conversation with their kids, NewsChannel5 reports. More than half of high school-age kids are experimenting with drugs.

But the good news is that more of them are now listening to what their parents have to say.

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• November 2, 1998: Is Your Child On Drugs?