They start feeling disassociated from the school, are labeled 'bad kids' and feel that all the school wants to do is get them out. The researcher, who also makes it clear that she does not advocate drug use, says students turn to each other because they can't trust adults. They start to take responsibility for their friends with problems, and act as counselors and offer support. The problem with that is that students are not trained, nor mature enough, to act in this capacity. Margaret Brown, chair of CTAs School Management Committee and a member of the Sacramento City Teachers Association, agrees with the conclusions of the controversial study.
Drugs are a part of the world they live in, in many cases.
They don't want scare tactics. They want information about how drugs affect the body. In an age where children of Baby Boomers realize their parents' generation invented drug experimentation and the president claims not to have inhaled marijuana, honesty may be the toughest challenge yet facing those teaching drug education. But the stakes are high. It should be of deep concern to those of us who care about the well-being of our youth.