According to a survey conducted by the Florida Department of Children and Families on middle and high school students, in 2011, 16.5 percent of high school students reported having been drunk or high at school. While among middle school students, only 5.9 percent were reported—representing a 10.6 increase from middle school to high school.

When looking at the Palm Beach County School District Web-site, under their Student Prevention tab, there is little more than guiding words as far as how parents and teachers should address substance abuse. Despite these escalating statistics, the Palm Beach County School District has failed to institute a necessary and clearly defined curriculum for drug education in high schools.

According to a Muse survey, 9 percent of the students admitted to having come to school under the influence of alcohol in the past 12 months and 13 percent had come to school under the influence of drugs. When comparing these numbers to the Florida Department of Children and Families’ survey, Dreyfoos students are far above the state average, in 2011, with a 22 percent combined percentage for coming to school drunk or high in the last 12 months.

While many students do not feel that a presentation on the effects of drugs and alcohol would be beneficial in preventing student’s consumption—that does not mean the issue should be ignored. Instead of pulling up a Power Point about “Just Say NO!” and telling student’s what they already know, drugs are harmful to your body and alcohol consumption under 21 is illegal and dangerous, they should have a family or a speaker come in who has lost someone to one of these consumptions or who has personally struggled with drugs or alcoholism themselves and is willing to share their story. Because, while alcohol may be the most prevalent drug used by students, marijuana, which is illegal as well as bad for you, is a close second.

Over the last two years, according to the survey done by the Florida Department of Children and Families, the prevalence of marijuana use has increased. Of the students surveyed, 22.6 percent have used marijuana or hashish on at least one occasion in their lifetimes. According to a Muse survey of 1,143 students, of the 25 percent of students who admitted to using marijuana at least once in a lifetime, 61 percent said that they had smoked marijuana in the past 30 days.

Police are beginning to crack down on the use of drugs and alcohol, according to the Sun Sentinel, Palm Beach County school police arrested seven high school students in May of 2012 as part of an ongoing undercover drug operation at area schools. Seven students at Palm Beach Central High School in Wellington are accused of trying to sell marijuana on campus to undercover police officers posing as students. The arrests mark the school district’s third drug sweep in the last year as part of “Operation D-,” which targets widespread drug dealing in public schools.

Unfortunately, other than these drug busts, there is nothing preventing these students from using drugs and alcohol at school. Students should be required to attend a presentation every year in hopes that by educating them and giving them personal examples, the school district might be able to stop at least a couple of students from participating in the illegal and dangerous consumption of drugs and alcohol.