CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) - According to a new study, drug and alcohol use in U.S. high schools is more common than you may think. "I haven't seen anybody smoke or drink, but I've heard stories of people bringing alcohol into school--like in little nips and everything", said recent high school graduate Vera Kalatina of Agawam. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University is reporting that 9 out of 10 high school students say they have classmates who smoke, drink, or use drugs during school hours. This issue is not just limited to public schools either. Teens at private schools also reported that drugs are in their hallways too--that's a 50%increase from last year. Many teens agree it's problem that will, most likely, not solve itself. "I feel it's hard, but it's something that's probably just going to keep happening and keep happening more", said Jared Grabowski of Westfield. However in some parts of Western Massachusetts, statistics show that drug use in the schools is not an issue. For example, in Hampshire County, 88% of students surveyed in 2011 said that they have not used drugs or alcohol while at school. That's based on data from the … Continue reading →

Doug Menuez/Getty Images A new survey found that nearly one in five students do drugs, drink or smoke cigarettes during the school day. Marijuana was the drug easiest to buy on school grounds, kids said. They may be in the classroom, but their heads are somewhere else. Nearly one in five students do drugs, drink or smoke cigarettes during the school day, according to a jarring new survey by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. While the revelation that 17% of high school students may be half in the bag on any given day may come as a shock to some parents or teachers, its old news to the 1,000 students surveyed. Some 86% told survey-takers that they were well aware their glassy-eyed classmates were stoned or drunk. It takes a teen to know whats going on in the teen world, said Emily Feinstein, who directed the 17th annual survey. Half of the students polled said they know who deals drugs at school and where students can go nearby to get high. Marijuana was the drug easiest to buy on school grounds, students said, followed by prescription drugs, cocaine and ecstasy. The survey of 12- … Continue reading →

If one of parents biggest worries is that their teenagers are exposed to drugs and alcohol at school, their fears are justified: Eighty-six percent of high school students say their classmates are smoking, drinking or using drugs during the school day, according to a national survey. The 17thannual back-to-school survey by the National Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University shows that tobacco, alcohol and drug use are pervasive and relentless fixtures in the teen world, Joseph A. Califano, founder and chairman of the center, writes in a statement accompanying the survey results. He called the results profoundly disturbing. Some of the reasons: --Students estimate that 17% of their classmates are drinking, using drugs or smoking during the school day. And about half say theres a place on or near campus where this happens. --Teens estimated that 47% of classmates drink alcohol; 40% use drugs; 30% smoke cigarettes. --Sixty percent of high school students and 32% of middle school students say students keep or sell drugs on campus. (In private high schools, 54% said this happens.) The high school figure has been at least 60% in seven of the last eight years. --Forty-four percent say they know someone … Continue reading →