CASA Survey on Drugs in Schools

The availability and types of drugs seem to be getting more widespread. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University announced last month that the number of students who attend schools where drugs are kept, sold or used has increased 47 percent for middle schools and 41 percent for high schools since 2002. Earlier this year CASA also released the results of a survey showing that prescription drug use among teens has skyrocketed recently and has become one of the fastest-rising categories of substance abuse.


Federal budget recommendations show that the Safe and Drug-Free Schools program and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Demand Reduction program are both at risk of losing funding. A handful of national programs will still receive several hundred million dollars for activities such as school-based drug testing, anti-drug media campaigns, community coalitions and other prevention programs, and all of these can help to some degree but are not nearly enough on their own. Meanwhile, over $1 billion is being spent on studying and observing the drug problem rather than actively reducing it.


In a CASA release on the 18th of August, the center’s president Joseph A. Califano, Jr. said, “It’s time for parents to shout ‘We’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take this any more’ and for education officials in Washington and the states, cities and counties to mount the same campaign to get drugs out of our schools as they are mounting to increase test scores.”


The harm reduction movements have made their way into some school systems with a “safety first” approach, saying that drugs will always be a part of our culture so let’s teach our kids how to use them in moderation. That’s also the message being sent to kids when they see numerous advertisements for the newest prescription drug. It’s no wonder why more than 15 million Americans are abusing these substances. If we don’t take a stand against these activities, who will?


© 2009 Drug-Free Alliance