MANDATORY DRUG EDUCATION WEEK

WHY SCHOOLS MUST PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN YOUTH DRUG EDUCATION

As the primary social institution for most developing children, schools can have a significant impact on adolescent health behavior and can play an essential role in adolescent health promotion. Schools serve all children regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, or health insurance status; thus, they are a logical place to provide coordinated health education and health services to a nation's children (DHHS, 1991, p. 434). A successful drug education program requires intense, interactive skills training to provide students with the long-term ability to resist using drugs. A mandatory drug education week with curriculum-specified follow-up throughout the school year is the only effective means of educating students fully on the consequences of drug use and the skills necessary to avoid such consequences successfully.

The federal government has long declared its commitment to addressing the issue of youth drug use. Since 1986, the government has awarded over $4 billion to states for implementing school-based drug- and violence-prevention programs (Joyner, 1997, p. 1). The distribution of these funds was authorized first by the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act and afterward by its successor, the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994 (Joyner, 1997, p. 1).

Unfortunately, however, the level of youth drug use in the United State

was conducted for 1989-1994 to identify key elements in effective drug-abuse prevention curricula (Lavin et. al., 1992, p. 212). The general consensus in the literature was that school-based programs could reduce adolescent drug use (Lavin et. al., 1992, p. 212). Traditionally, alcohol and other drug education programs have focused on junior and senior high school students. However, as indicated by statistics for the average age of first use of the gateway drugs, prevention must also be directed to elementary school students (DHHS, 1991, p. 298A). The Department of Health and Human Services argues that it is particularly crucial to prevent or at least delay the use of alcohol and other drugs by children and teenagers because rapid growth can amplify the physiological and psychological effects of drug use (DHHS, 1991, p. 298A). The educational system is the best and most logical place through which to disseminate information about drug use to America's youth. State boards of education, state university systems, and state legislatures can play a crucial role educating America's youth about drug use by mandating school drug and alcohol policies and other drug education and prevention programs. About three-quarters of the Stat