ncreasing drug use among high school students show. Indeed, a survey sponsored by the American Association of Law Schools reported that 20 percent of law students admitted to drug abuse (Sobering, 1994; Hager, 1993).
A significant feature of drug-use statistics where school-age people are concerned is the method and scope of drug-related education. "Overview of Drug Education and Prevention Programs" describes government's education efforts as "massive," citing some $9 billion that had been appropriated by Congress "for drug interdiction, enforcement, treatment, and drug education programs" during the Bush administration (Overview, n.d., p. 1). The approach of drug-related educational efforts for the student population appears to have been to use scare tactics, to demonstrate the worst personal results of drug use; the statistical increase in drug use suggests that such tactics have been largely ineffectual.
From administration to administration at the presidential level, the use of drugs by young people persists. Studies of drug-related education make manifest certain aspects of either the problem or ways of addressing it, but no comprehensive positive theory or methodology of education in this area is in evidence. "Overview of Drug Education and Prevention Programs" cites programs and organizations with connections to various school systems, notably «MDUL»Be Smart! Stay Smart! Don't Start!«MDNM», aimed at 8-12-year-olds subject to peer pressure; «MDUL»DARE («MDBU»D«MDUL»rug «MDBU»A«MDUL»buse «MDBU»R«MDUL»esistance «MDBU»E«MDUL»ducation)«MDNM», intended to teach elementary-age students decision-making and peer-pressure coping skills; «MDUL»MADD (Mo
...