NCJ Number
118486
Date Published
1989
Length
32 pages
Annotation
The incidence of drug abuse in schools, student attitudes toward the problem, and drug abuse prevention and intervention programs are discussed.
Abstract
The 1988 National High School Senior Survey reported that drug use by this group is at its lowest level since the survey began in 1975. Although this downward trend is encouraging, the survey determined that drug abuse by high school students is still a problem. More than half of America's teenagers have used drugs at least once before they finish high school, and more than one-third have used drugs other than marijuana. One out of every eight high school seniors have tried cocaine before they graduate. Nine of 10 seniors have experienced alcohol, and nearly one in five seniors is a daily cigarette smoker. Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug, with 47 percent of students reporting some use in their lifetime. A 1988 report by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that a majority of high school seniors perceive regular illicit drug use as being dangerous or posing great risk. The right and duty of school officials to enforce the law on drug use in schools has been addressed in major court decisions dealing with student searchers; a related issue that may eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court is drug testing. Besides obvious health and legal considerations, drug and alcohol abuse often leads to other problems such as truancy, crime, and violence. Drug abuse prevention strategies should encompass information and education projects, clear and consistent school policies, and school-community relations. Drug abuse intervention strategies should include family-oriented programs, parent support groups, ongoing school involvement with community resources, educator involvement with parent groups, and school board policies. Drug and alcohol prevention programs are noted, and media clippings on the student drug abuse problem are provided.