Drug Epidemic at Manalapan HS in Manalapan, NJ
In most high schools, drugs are a common rite of passage. As a matter of fact, the problem is so serious that it has reached epidemic levels. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse - NIH (2014), 22.1%, 16.3%, and 22.7% of high school students (seniors) in 2013 admitted to binge drinking, cigarette smoking and marijuana smoking, respectively.
Prescription drugs are also being abused at an alarming rate. For instance, "in 2013, 15.0% of high school seniors used a prescription drug non-medically…" (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2014). One of the prescription drugs most abused, as the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2014) further points out, was Adderall. The said prescription drug is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity...
Other commonly abused prescription drugs are products with dextromethorphan as a component and Vicodin.
In a study conducted by the National Center on Addiction and
Substance Abuse "about 17% percent of American high school students are drinking, smoking or using drugs during the school day" (Kuczynski-Brown, 2012). Manalapan High School, which forms the basis of this
discussion, is one of the affected institutions.
The Institution: In Brief
Established in 1971, Manalapan High School is one of Manalapan Township's public high schools. Essentially, the institution serves learners from the entire Englishtown.
The General Characteristics of the Population
From grade 9 through to 12, the school has a total
student population of 2,079. In terms of individual grades, the student population for grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 is 502, 503, 525, and 549 students respectively. With regard to gender, male…
