August 20, 2007
Survey Reports U.S. Schools 'Infested with Drugs'

"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," according to the twelfth back-to-school survey conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. Responding to survey questions, students reported increases since 2002 in the numbers of classmates they have seen high on drugs at school and the ease with which illegal drugs are sold and kept on school campuses. "Too many of our nation's high and middle schools have become marijuana marts and pill palaces," said CASA president and former Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare Joseph Califano, Jr. In other survey findings, 37 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds said they can buy marijuana within a day at school and 17 percent said they can buy it in an hour or less. Being popular seems to add to the risk of drug abuse, with popular teens at drug-infested schools found 10 times likelier to abuse prescription drugs, 9 times likelier to use illegal drugs other than marijuana or prescription drugs, 5 times likelier to get drunk monthly, and 4 times likelier to smoke or chew tobacco. Information about the 2007 back-to-school survey is available at www.casacolumbia.org.