Pubdate: Wed, 21 Aug 2002
Source: Christian Science Monitor (US)
Copyright: 2002 The Christian Science Publishing Society
Contact:  http://www.csmonitor.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/83
Author: Patrik Jonsson
Note: Jennifer LeClaire contributed to this report from Miami.

DRUGS BECOMING A RARER SIGHT IN SCHOOLS

For the first time, more than half of US teenagers say their schools are 
drug-free.

RALEIGH, N.C. - Most American high schools probably have at least one 
real-life version of drugged-out surfer Jeff Spicoli in their senior class. 
Like the lovable but invariably stoned bad boy from "Fast Times at 
Ridgemont High," he's the one constantly crowing, "Hey bud, let's party!"

But unlike the Sean Penn character, today's high school party animals are 
not feeling as laid-back using the lunchroom as a drug den as they 
apparently did in Redondo Beach, circa 1979.

Once a happening drug marketplace with a captive audience ready to buy, the 
American high school is shedding its image as a place where drugs are done 
and drug deals get done. True, teen use of substances like Ecstasy and meth 
is still cause for concern, especially off school grounds and in the club 
scene. But in the hallways, bathrooms, and parking lots of high schools, 
drugs appear to be losing some of their foothold - a welcome development 
for administrators and teachers who have toiled to turn the tide against 
student drug use.

"People still do drugs, but they don't do them at school anymore," says 
Matt McKinney, a junior at Athens Drive High School in the west end in 
Raleigh, N.C.

These observations are backed up by a just-released survey that says that 
this year, for the first time, more than half of American teenagers say 
their schools are "drug free" - meaning they've seen no dealing, no 
stashing, no smoking. According to Columbia University's well-regarded 
National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse, 62 percent 
reported that they haven't seen drugs kept, used, or sold at school this 
year, up from 42 percent in 2000, and up from a low of 31 percent in 1998.

"My generation grew up watching 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High,' and today, 
that seems like a long ways away as far as drug use being that prevalent at 
school," says Mike Carr, a spokesman for the National Association of 
Secondary School Principals in Reston, Va.

While challenges clearly remain, experts cite a variety of reasons for the 
apparent progress so far. Many say that the 1994 federal antidrug act 
helped raise national awareness of what was once considered a local problem 
- - and those efforts may just now be bearing fruit. What's more, recent ad 
campaigns that exhort parents to "talk to your kids about drugs" appear to 
be having an effect.

But the primary reason for sobering schools seems to be that years of 
"getting tough" on drug dealing in schools is wearing down the black market 
on campus. As Mr. Carr says, it's "getting them to think that having drugs 
at school is a really bad idea."

The trend, experts agree, is bolstered by new security measures in schools, 
more drug testing, and locally produced drug-abuse-awareness campaigns, 
often presented as straight talk rather than admonishment.

"Everybody's scared to death of being busted," says Matt, who wears a tie 
to school. "These days, most kids want to go to college. But if you get 
caught at school," he says, there could be harsh consequences.

Those who gauge teen attitudes on drugs say that the new study is an 
encouraging sign.

"Hopefully, this is an indication that schools and parents are paying a lot 
more attention to the problem - and that kids are getting more aware," says 
Joseph Califano Jr., the former secretary of health, education, and welfare 
who conducted the survey.

That's certainly true here at Athens Drive, one of the most diverse 
quarters of the city. Packed with faces of all shapes and colors, the 
school is described by one parent as "not rich, but not poor." As with 
other schools in the district, security guards on bikes and other means of 
stepped-up enforcement have made a difference.

School officials also don't dawdle when problems crop up: Junior Ashley 
Jones saw that with her own eyes. In a small wood behind the bus stop, 
"druggies" used to convene for business, she says. But last year, officials 
took notice. Some kids were punished, while custodians cleared out the 
brushy woods.

"The people who are doing it are going to do it. They're just not doing it 
at school," says Ashley.

Researchers say that parents also seem to be getting the message. "I think 
to say that [drugs on campus] doesn't happen is an illusion," says Athens 
Drive mom Rhea Lucovsky. "But I talk to my daughter and her boyfriend."

Moreover, local officials have tried to clear away the cloud of pop- 
culture drug references with what they call "social norming": Instead of 
harping on the fact that there are 8 million American teens exposed to 
drugs at school, new ad campaigns at a growing number of colleges and high 
schools point out how many kids don't smoke, drink, or take illegal drugs.

"A very important point we need to make is that most kids don't use drugs," 
says Jennifer DeValance, a spokeswoman for the Office of National Drug 
Control Policy at the White House.

To be sure, experts are quick to point out that "there's no such thing as a 
drug-free school," in the words of University of Michigan sociologist Lloyd 
Johnston. In fact, his "Monitoring the Future" study shows that teen drug 
use has stayed relatively constant since 1997, following a sharp uptick in 
the early 1990s. "From what I've seen, I'm not sure we've turned the corner 
yet," he says.

In fact, the new Columbia study finds that more and more kids say that 
marijuana, specifically, is now easier to buy than beer and cigarettes. 
Indeed, while officials have rooted the modern-day Spicolis off campus at 
Athens Drive, other school districts are finding it tough going.

At Florida's North Miami Beach Senior High School, students report that the 
bathrooms often reek of marijuana, and some students even carry crack pipes 
on campus.

Freshman Richard Gomez says that half the school is on drugs. "The teachers 
know kids are taking drugs," but they just don't say anything, says Richard 
from outside the boys' locker room. "They just don't care."

One teacher also quietly confirmed drug usage on campus. "That study must 
not have been from Miami," says an apathetic ninth-grade teacher who asked 
not to be identified, "because some of my students sell drugs right from my 
classroom."
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