Our own community sees evidence of this on a daily basis in our daily newspapers. The evidence appears in school, police, and court records. These are the youth that have been caught. The statistics are frightening. National studies report that our children are using alcohol and other drugs in increasing numbers and at younger ages.
Studies also report more youth involved with illegal activities than ever before.
It is happening in our community and across our nation. Our youth no longer believe that illegal drugs are harmful and no longer experience negative peer pressure for using them. Fairfax County Public Schools has seen a steady rise in expulsion recommendations due to drug distribution. Suspensions for alcohol and other drugs at the middle school level are skyrocketing, with marijuana becoming the drug of choice for this age group. County agencies and police arrests reflect the same pattern.