Drugs in the school prove to be a persistent problem as well as a dangerous one. Kids are unaware of the magnitude of what drugs can cause their bodies and minds. They deteriorate grades, relationships, and can cause mental health issues to spiral. 

“There are a lot of kids that don’t do any of it, and the kids that do do it, do a lot of it. The thousand kids that are here, maybe 10% of them dabble in alcohol. And in that 10% you probably have at least 1% that have a problem,” Deputy Chris Pechnik, SRO, said. 

Kids seem to be unaware of the tremendous impact that weed concentrate intake has on their bodies. 

“I don’t think they know. Unless they’re educated on it, they’re not going to know that a certain drug does this,” Laurie Brueckner, school nurse, said. 

For quite some time, Pechnik and other officers have seen this perspective of the true extent of student drug use.

“The stuff we used to [confiscate from] the kids 10 years ago [had an average concentration of] probably 10-15% if it was a really high potency. Which was really high back in those days,” Pechnik explained.

 He also spoke about how high concentration levels are now.

“The stuff we get now, even just the average bud, that kids smoke is in the 20%. That is exceptionally high, not to mention, you throw in wax or even the vape carts. We’ve even seen it as high as 3-400%, which is no longer just smoking to get high. That’s mind-altering. That’s LSD-level, methane, phentermine, and cocaine-level addiction.” 

The real truth is that many kids are easily able to get marijuana vape carts, but don’t understand just what exactly they are doing to their bodies. They end up damaging their bodies for a long time, possibly even for life. Yet, for them, it’s just chasing that high. 

“They feel like they’re invincible. It’s not just this generation of teenagers, all teenagers think that. That’s just how the teenage brain thinks,” Brueckner said. 

While some could guess that kids do not care what goes in and out of their bodies, it may be that they do care, they just don’t have enough positive influences to help them explore more healthier outlets for their depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.