60% Of High School Students Say Drugs Are Available At School

I’m often amazed by parents who seem to have largely ceded the education and socialization of their kids to a school system, caring little about what their kids are being taught and by whom. Now we must add exposure to drugs and drug dealers to the list of reasons parents must take an active role or risk losing their teenagers to other people’s values and vices. And it’s happening at both public and private schools. Here are survey results from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, as reported by CNN:

The survey found that 44% of high school students know a classmate who sells drugs at school, and 60% say that drugs are available on campus. Marijuana was the most-sold on school grounds, students said, as well as prescription drugs, cocaine and ecstasy.

And then this:

Teens who say their parents are more laid back about drug or tobacco use are significantly more likely to smoke or drink, according to the survey.

Teens who say they’ve been left alone overnight – almost 30% of those surveyed – are about twice as likely to have used alcohol or marijuana and almost three times more likely to have tried tobacco than teens who’ve never been left alone at night.

Faith plays a role here, too. Teens who regularly attend religious services aren’t as likely to use illegal substances or tobacco.