
By Staff Writer
The Office of National Drug Control Policy reports that mental health problems, including depression, developmental lags, apathy, withdrawal and other psychosocial dysfunctions, are frequently linked to substance abuse among adolescents. As a result, many school districts are implementing programs to prevent teen drug and alcohol use.
For example, the Chino Valley Unified School District in California recently started an anti-drug campaign in partnership with local law enforcement, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reports. The effort includes multiple forums that are designed to teach parents about the warning signs of drug use.
At the forums, police discuss common slang that teens use to describe drug use, such as "rolling" for Ecstasy and "faded" for marijuana. In addition, they suggest that parents ought to check on their teens' social networking and texting use, the news provider reports.
A spokesperson for the district told the news source that she was pleased to see a decrease in on-campus drug offenses in 2010. Officials reported five drug-related expulsions in 2010, compared to 10 in 2009, according to the media outlet.
According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, 30 percent of teens reported illicit drug use.