The White House drug czar says there's a new trend in teen drug use. John Walters says for the first time, teenage girls are trying marijuana, alcohol and cigarettes at higher rates than boys. But overall, teen drug use is declining.

The trend reversal noted in a new government analysis comes even as teen drug use is declining overall. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health, released by John Walters, the national drug policy director, indicates 1.5 million girls ages 12 to 17 started drinking alcohol in 2004. That compares with nearly 1.3 million boys.

Among the same age group, more girls than boys started smoking cigarettes and using marijuana in 2004, the most recent year for which statistics are available.