Recently, student drug use on campus has declined, specifically regarding marijuana and tobacco usage. According to Aragon and the San Mateo Union High School District surveys, marijuana use decreased by 8% among sophomores and juniors, and vaping decreased by 9% among juniors within the past year. Smaller decreases have also been noticed among the freshmen and senior classes.
General teen drug use both on and off campus also appears to be on the decline. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health, marijuana use among teens dropped from 7.4% in 2019 to 5.9% in 2020.
“[During] the pandemic, I think kids over-indulged more than they normally would have if they weren’t locked in their homes”
“[During] the pandemic, I think kids over-indulged more than they normally would have if they weren’t locked in their homes,” said SMUHSD wellness counselor Dan Michalske. “[But] now that they’re out and about and engaging with peers, they’re still smoking, but it doesn’t have the same hold on them [as] when they were home. I’ve seen several of my students recently minimizing their usage.”
Some students’ experiences since the end of the pandemic mirror the statistics.
“I’ve noticed a decrease [in my substance use] because I can’t afford to be high all the time,” said a junior. “I have actual priorities and more responsibilities.”
However, others have not observed the same decrease in use and called into question the reliability of students self-reporting on surveys. The main national survey used to gather substance use data, SAMHSA, cautions against relying on statistics during and after the pandemic due to necessary changes in testing that followed the nationwide shutdown, like collecting data during two quarters of the year rather than all four quarters and surveying half as many people than previous years.
“Anecdotally and from observations, [there has been] … an increase in drug use and nicotine use in general,” said assistant principal Nicole Elenz-Martin. “[People use drugs] for self medication, mental health reasons and [feeling a] need to escape.”
“[People use drugs] for self medication, mental health reasons and [feeling a] need to escape”
Principal Valerie Arbizu recognized that though there have only been 11 instances of students caught on campus with drugs or drug paraphernalia this semester, which is significantly less than in prior years, off campus use is likely still a prevalent issue.
“We talk to students and we definitely get the impression that there is more significant usage off campus because people don’t want to get in trouble,” Arbizu said.
Because people begin using drugs for different reasons, their behavior likely changes for different reasons as well.
“At first [smoking marijuana] was fun to do with my friends,” said a junior. “[During the] pandemic, I really didn’t have much else going on. And then after I started doing it more, it [became] a dependency. I couldn’t sleep without it. Sometimes I couldn’t eat without it.”
Aragon administration has also considered potential motivations behind use, in order to best prevent or limit students from using drugs. To reduce drug usage on campus, teachers and the district often host anti-drug presentations. However, some students believe this approach in anti-drug education is repetitive and futile.
“Those things are kind of ineffective,” said a junior said. “When they [try] teaching us about it, kids [treat] it as a joke. It’s funny that teachers are talking about [it when] we have it in our backpacks. It’s not going to stop anyone. We know it’s bad.”
“When they [try] teaching us about it, kids [treat] it as a joke. It’s funny that teachers are talking about [it when] we have it in our backpacks. It’s not going to stop anyone. We know it’s bad”
SMUHSD health teacher Malcolm Davis points out the recent shift to harm reduction strategies, which acknowledge and accept student drug use, and hope students make smarter and safer decisions with substances.
“Harm reduction does a better job than the [anti-drug stuff],” Davis said. “If you’re saying ‘anti’ then you’re telling people ‘no’. Now people are trying to think, ‘Okay, well why? Why is everybody saying no?’ It’s kind of giving them thoughts or ideas to want to go and try it.”
Also, Aragon staff interviewed on student behavior issues on campus considered substance use to be the largest area of concern. In 2018-19, 62% of staff stated that it was a moderate to severe problem, up from 42% the prior year.
“I’m most concerned about [the timing] when it comes to young people and substance use,” said Jessamy Cadigan, a psychologist and District mental health therapist. “Adolescent brains are … building really important connections at this time … Teen brains addict faster, which is nobody’s fault … It’s just timing.”
State and national statistics mirror the decrease indicated by school and district data. The District continues to combat drug abuse with awareness groups, such as the Vape Awareness Prevention Education and Brief Intervention groups with the district office, and easy, anonymous access to therapy.
