86% of Teens Say Peers Smoke, Do Drugs ... at School

Not only are teens drinking and doing drugs, they're drinking and doing drugs at school. Some 86% of US high-schoolers say their peers use alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs "during the school day on or near school grounds," according to the head of a group that ran the annual survey. The teens estimated that 17% of their classmates are using the illicit substances at school. More disturbing findings per the Christian Science Monitor:

• For the first time, more than half of private school students reported the presence of illegal drugs at school. This year's 54% is up from 36% last year.
• More than half said students go to a spot near campus to use illegal substances, and 36% said it's easy to do so without getting caught.
• Nearly half said they know someone who sells drugs at school—that's usually marijuana, but also sometimes prescription drugs, cocaine, or Ecstasy.
• For seven of the last eight years, around 60% of those surveyed labeled their schools as "drug-infected," meaning drugs are on campus. In 2002, that percentage was just 44%.

(More alcohol stories.)