“This fall more than 16 million teens will return to middle and high schools where drug dealing, possession, use, and students high on alcohol or drugs are part of the fabric of their school,” says Joseph Califano, chairman of CASA. “Parents should wake up to this reality and realize that more likely than not, your teen is going to school each day in a building where drug use, sale, and possession are as much a part of the curriculum as math or English.”

The survey also found:

About six in 10 parents of teens at schools with a drug problem say they believe the goal of making that school drug free is unrealistic.
Most parents, 86 percent, say drinking is a big part of the college experience, but only 29 percent think their own teens will do a lot of it.
Students who consider themselves popular were more likely to use drugs, drink or smoke than students who do not view themselves as popular.

Don't let your guard down and think the problem of drugs and alcohol in schools is diminishing. The kids themselves will tell you the situation is getting worse and a 2008 study proves it.

The percentage of teens who say they attend high schools with drug problems has increased from 44 percent to 61 percent since 2002, and the percentage in middle schools has increased from 19 percent to 31 percent. Some 13 percent of teens said they had tried marijuana, and 4 percent said they had used it in the past month.

Based on survey responses, researchers concluded that 80 percent of the nation’s high school students and been witness to school drug activity.

The survey was conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. It shows that the need for education and cutting-edge awareness programs are as great as ever.

DID YOU KNOW?

A survey shows that 44 percent of middle-schoolers have seen drugs used or sold, or students stoned, on school grounds.