Letter from ONDCP Director John Walters and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings
Thanks to the efforts of parents; schools; community coalitions; civic and faith-based organizations; local, State, and Federal agencies; and other concerned partners, student use of illicit drugs has declined 24 percent since 2001, according to Monitoring the Future, 2007 (MTF). This means 860,000 fewer young people are using drugs today. Although these impressive reductions suggest that prevention programs aimed at youth are making a difference, adolescents are still at risk for substance abuse.
MTF also reveals that 19 percent of 8th graders, 36 percent of 10th graders, and 47 percent of 12th graders have used an illicit drug during their lifetime. Abuse of prescription-type drugs is high among 12th graders, with 9 percent reporting abuse of narcotic pain-killers other than heroin in the past year, and 6 percent reporting abuse of sedatives. Moreover, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) data indicate that 1.3 million youths aged 12 to 17 needed treatment for an illicit drug-use problem in 2006.
Schools have a variety of prevention and education programs at their disposal to help students stay drug-free. Although these programs may deter young people from initiating drug use or prompt them to refrain from continued experimentation with drugs, sometimes an enhanced awareness of drug use among students or a tragic event such as a drug overdose death—as was the case with New Castle High School in Pennsylvania (Issue 1, Strategies for Success)—will spur a school to seek additional strategies.
Random drug testing, which has the potential to deter and identify drug use by students, can be a valuable complement to existing prevention programs. Screening can also help create a culture of disapproval toward drugs and a safer school environment.
Random testing programs share important commonalities of purpose, but the best programs are designed to address the unique needs of the school or community. This issue of Strategies for Success looks at a variety of successful programs and program elements that have been implemented around the Nation in public and private schools. Articles on these pages also address misconceptions about the safety of misusing prescription drugs and the drug testing process.
With continued, concerted efforts, drug use among youth can decline even further. Fewer youth initiating drug use can translate into fewer dependent or addicted adults. Random testing for drug use and other drug abuse prevention programs that target young people can make important contributions to this public health goal. We urge communities and schools to add random testing to their anti-drug strategies.
John P. Walters, Director |
Margaret Spellings |
