High school is commonly known as a place of temptation. Drugs in high school is a huge ongoing issue, where at least 50% of students have tried a drug. There are clear rules and laws about any type of drugs on campus, though that doesn’t stop some people.

Easton Esquivel, a sophomore, believes that the evolve system is ineffective because it only identifies metal, not other substances. He sees vaping in school restrooms but feels that drug use is not as severe as others perceive. Esquivel thinks the issue could be controlled and advocates for stricter school rules against drugs to prevent harm. He speculates that high schoolers might use drugs to seek something more for themselves, despite already feeling “cool”. 

“I wouldn’t say there’s like, a specific amount, but i’ve seen some people vaping in the restrooms. I think it could be controlled but, I dont think it’s maybe as serious as many people are taking it. Drugs are bad for you, and I don’t wanna see anybody getting hurt,” said Esquivel. 

Officer Hartin, the school police officer, reports that he frequently encounters high school students using marijuana, as evidenced by the odor in the restrooms. He’s made plenty of reports of kids that he has caught. He mentions that he has also found alcohol, marijuana flower, THC cartridges, and edibles among students but no harder narcotics. Officer Hartin believes students use drugs for social reasons, often influenced by their parents or peers, and wishes they would keep it outside of school as it disrupts education for others. He concluded by advising against students using drugs. 

“I don’t catch them too often, like actively doing it, but I would say daily, the restrooms are full of the odor of marijuana. We’ve had a lot, probably this year 20 to 25 kids with THC vapes. We’ve got alcohol kids, we’ve got the actual, like, flower of marijuana, and the THC cartridges, edibles, yeah, nothing harder than that. I think most of them do it because they think it’s kind of a cool thing to do. Yeah, dont do drugs,” said Officer Hartin. 

Weston Brown, a senior, believes that drugs are a huge issue in high school because it’s a common problem people see everyday. He mentions that the evolve is supposed to stop anybody with any vapes, pens, or e-cigarettes, yet many people have found a way to hide these so they cannot be found. Brown touches on the fact the bathroom is a main source of these drugs, despite not having bathroom doors. He talks about how any time he passes or enters the bathroom there is a clear odor. 

“It’s so unfortunate that so many kids participate in drugs, in general but especially in school. Doing it outside of school is different because it’s your outside life, but bringing into school seems desperate and shows its a genuine problem. The evolve is supposed to beep kids with items like vapes and other items, but kids have found a way to be sneaky. Even with non metal drugs, like marijuana, it’s such a distinct smell, especially in the restrooms,” said Brown. 

Charlotte Thompson, a freshman, thinks that schools need to make stricter rules because the amount of drug use in school is drastic. Thompson mentions that after being exposed to highschool, she witnesses her friends getting into such activities, to make themselves seem cool or boost popularity. 

“The amount of people I’ve seen vaping, smoking, or even edibles in school is crazy. I used to read about high schoolers with drug addiction and now I see how big the issue actually is. I think the school needs to do something because kids are getting desperate and will do anything to bring drugs into school. It’s sad because as a freshman and being new to school, my friends have told me about their experiences with drugs, even as we are so young,” said Thompson. 

Ethan Young, a senior, talks about how he sees a clear increase in students doing drugs as he gets older. Young mentions throughout his 4 years, he’s slowly seen more and more kids get into these activities. He believes that the school should get stricter about the issue, though with so many kids, he says it’s almost impossible to restrict. 

“I’ve been in high school for almost 4 years, and the amount of kids I’ve seen fall into drugs is outrageous, I honestly couldn’t keep count because there’s been so many. I’ve had friends who I no longer talk to because they got too involved with drugs and have been caught in school. It’s honestly a bigger issue than one would hope, and I do believe rules should be put in place for these high schoolers throwing away their future. But there’s over 3000 kids here and it would be impossible to restrict all of them, I’m sure someone would find a way and it’ll happen regardless,” said Young.

Although drugs are a big issue in high school, students may unfortunately see a huge incline in the next few years. Many of them believe the rules should be stricter. Hopefully we see the use of drugs decline, and high school students stop using drugs.