High schools are the main reason to blame for why the nation is losing the battle against teen substance abuse. According to a survey by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in New York City, 90 percent of high school students report they know someone in their class that keeps, uses or sells drugs during the school day. That’s up from 86 percent in 2012.    

It’s a growing issue among teens. High schools across the nation are becoming places where students buy, sell and use drugs. They’re supposed to be where students can go to learn and grow as people. While the social media is the cause of it because it is where the advertising of all the harmful substances take place, this abuse is taking place right under the noses of high school staff.

According to the CASA survey, 60 percent of high school students say their high school is infected by drugs. 45 percent of students who attend drug-infected schools say they see substance abuse on social media. Of that 45 percent, 75 percent said social media encouraged them to do it to and 47 percent said it looked like fun.  

This issue is mainly caused by alcohol and tobacco, two serious gateway drugs that lead to other more harmful drugs such as marijuana. A preadolescent or adolescent who smokes tobacco or drinks alcohol is 65 times more likely to try marijuana than someone who abstains.

The presence of abusive substances in high schools are making other issues in the nation much worse, such as addiction. According to U.S News, 90 percent of Americans who are currently addicted started before they were 18. Currently 46 percent  of U.S high school students use an abusive substance and 31 percent meet the criteria for medical addiction.

The problem of substance abuse among teens will not only start students who agree to try abusive substances down a path of addiction but could also lead to a path of crime as well. According to the NCADD 80 percent of current offenders were under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of their offense. Almost half of all homicides and assaults occurred when the offender, victim or both had been drinking.

Addiction also is a factor in child abuse. Nearly four in 10 child victimizers had been drinking at the time of the abuse. Children of substance abusing parents are three times more likely to be abused or neglected than those whose parents don’t abuse substances.

The advertising industry is easily the schools’ main opponent as well as social media. There are $25 billion worth of advertising that goes into cigarettes, alcohol and prescription medication. The worst part is, it’s working. The cigarette and alcohol advertising being responsible for 30 percent of underage substance abuse of those products.

The school system needs to be making a better effort to actively combat these advertising campaigns that target potential underage customers. The only way to stop the success of these advertisements is to educate students and show them the truth behind the advertising campaigns. The school system is entirely responsible for how and if the students are educated enough to make the right decision and resist the advertising campaigns.

Clearly the school system has failed to fulfil their responsibility to ensure that the students get properly educated about the danger of these substances.