During the last school year there were about 33 drug-related arrests at the three high schools. The majority of those arrests stemmed from illegal use of prescription drugs, which authorities say is a growing problem in the schools.

The "old drugs" such as marijuana and cocaine are not as dominate in school as they once were, according to Albert Medina, School Resource Officer (SRO) at Tellico Plains High School. "It goes through phases," he said. Medina made three drug-related arrests at the high school last year.

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