The majority of high school students report that they have personally witnessed drug-related activity at their school, according to a recent survey conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA).

Eighty percent of high school students and 44% of middle school students reported that they personally had witnessed one or more of the following on the grounds of their school: 1) illegal drugs used; 2) illegal drugs sold; 3) illegal drugs in the possession of students (either on them or in their lockers); 4) students high on drugs; 5) students who were drunk.

Furthermore, 31% of high school students and 9% of middle school students reported seeing such conduct at least once a week.

The authors suggest that “until we rid our children’s middle and high schools of drugs, we will never be able to achieve the improvements in academic achievements (and test scores) considered essential to maintain our global competitiveness.”

For details, including data charts, source information and caveats, download the PDF.

Reprinted from CESAR Fax, a weekly, one-page overview of timely substance abuse trends or issues, from The Center on Substance Abuse Research (CESAR) at the University of Maryland.