WATCH: Oh, Kmart!
Pamela Poole: Talk About a Choking Hazard! What I Never Expected to…
Study: Teen drug use at school getting worse
Filed under: Teens, Alcohol & Drugs, Day Care & Education
Back when I was in high school, drug use at my school was common. We had a school-sanctioned smoking area for students, located in a courtyard between two wings of the school. Few students were actually old enough to legally smoke, yet hundreds gathered in this area between classes each day for a quick nicotine fix. But they weren't just smoking cigarettes out there - amid the smells of tobacco, the odor of marijuana was unmistakable. Teachers routinely walked through this area and said and did nothing about it. Even then, I thought it was crazy that they allowed this to happen.
According to a new survey by Columbia University's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, things haven't changed all that much in American high schools. I doubt schools offer smoking areas these days, but kids are still doing drugs at school. 61 percent of teens say they attend high schools with drug problems and four out of five say they have actually witnessed the use, sale or possession of illegal drugs or seen someone drunk or high at school.
What has changed since my high school days is that drug use seems to be connected to popularity now. The survey found that students who consider themselves to be popular were more likely to use drugs, drink or smoke than those who didn't see themselves as popular. Back in my day, the drug users were outcasts, derisively referred to as 'heads'.
What's worse is the finding that six out of ten parents of kids who attend schools with a drug problem believe the goal of making their school drug-free is impossible. Ellie is beginning her first year in public school next week and this sort of news disturbs me. If, as the researchers say, "drug use at school has become a commonplace experience for teens" and that parents have effectively given up, what can possibly be done about it?
According to a new survey by Columbia University's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, things haven't changed all that much in American high schools. I doubt schools offer smoking areas these days, but kids are still doing drugs at school. 61 percent of teens say they attend high schools with drug problems and four out of five say they have actually witnessed the use, sale or possession of illegal drugs or seen someone drunk or high at school.
What has changed since my high school days is that drug use seems to be connected to popularity now. The survey found that students who consider themselves to be popular were more likely to use drugs, drink or smoke than those who didn't see themselves as popular. Back in my day, the drug users were outcasts, derisively referred to as 'heads'.
What's worse is the finding that six out of ten parents of kids who attend schools with a drug problem believe the goal of making their school drug-free is impossible. Ellie is beginning her first year in public school next week and this sort of news disturbs me. If, as the researchers say, "drug use at school has become a commonplace experience for teens" and that parents have effectively given up, what can possibly be done about it?
Your<span>Voice</span>
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
Recently Asked
- Discuss Derian douglas hickman's answer to: 01/16/2013 Order Sua Sponte to/for: Entered 2 day's before initial scheduling conference 01/16/2013
- patent or not civil case the inventor will never lose because the people approved and he makes the rules. it did not exist
- D. hickman v. intel, microsoft et.al federal district court dc (bill gates deposition part 1 you tube?) are you a owner of a company?
TheTalkies:RelatedVideos
-
22 Students Arrested In High School Drug Ring Bust
Twenty-two high school students from the Temecula Valley School District were taken into custody as part of an undercover drug operation Tuesday.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department escorted students out of class at three of the district's high schools at approximately 8:30 a.m., according to a statement from the district.
Fifteen students were detained without incident from Temecula Valley High School, 5 from Chaparral High School and 2 from Rancho Vista Continuation High School.
-
The Nature of Drug Testing for High School Athletes
Dr. Gary Wadler of the World Anti-Doping Agency and NYU School of Medicine, explains that high school drug testing should be about deterrence, not punishment.
-
Drug Dogs Considered For Local Schools
The Pajaro Valley Unified school district board discussed bringing drug dogs into schools to try to reduce the number of expulsions due to drugs.
-
Can A High School Do Mandatory Drug Testing?: Legal Briefs
Can a high school take a student's hair for mandatory drug testing? Well, it depends! If the school is a private school, they can do whatever they want. If it's a public school, that's when things get a little trickier.
SitesWeLove
- Site Map
- |
- Staff
- |
- Terms of Service
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Trademarks
- |
- Advertise With Us
- |
- About Our Ads
- |
- AOL Downloads
- |
- Contact Us
- |
© Copyright 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Aol Family
ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
8-20-2007 @ 9:18AM
M4Mommy said...we too had a smoking area in high school. But most of the pot use was saved for the back of the bus or in the cars of the juniors and seniors.
Myself, I have never smoked a cigarette, never mind a joint. I think that a lot of the problem is because some parents smoked and still smoke pot and see little harm in it. Heck, they graduated and have jobs and never moved "on to cocaine" so wheres the harm right. We have been telling our daughter from birth that smoking tobacco products is disgusting and dangerous. And since kids learn by example I am sure she has a very good chance of never lighting up. And since we have also been teaching her that drug use and abuse of alcohol is also bad, disgusting and dangerous.. and since no one in our family uses or abuses any of the above I am also sure she has a better than average chance of staying away from those substances also.
Reply
8-20-2007 @ 11:33AM
LS said...I think this is one area where it would be nice if the modeling took place in the media as well as at home. Don't get me wrong, I'm a firm believer that good habits (and bad) start at home, and with parenting. But it's a hard battle to fight when members of the celebrity world are celebrated for their drug and alcohol use and abuse. We tut-tut over Lindsay, et al, going into "rehab" yet again, but they get more and more popular every time they relapse. And the celebrities who DO go in for real, and come out clean and stay that way fade into the background, and generally don't talk about their sobriety because, face it, it's just plain boring. And sobriety teaches you that there is a world that's bigger than you... maybe that's the problem. We need to teach our kids to be not so narcissistic, and look outside themselves in the form of good works/charity/etc. to make themselves feel whole.
It's a complex topic, especially when you have the added pressure of a smoker/drinker living in the home.
Reply