Drugs are an epidemic. Most every student at CHS knows someone who regularly uses some sort of illegal substance or has experimented with one. While the school community may be aware of this, many teachers, parents, and administrators do not seem to realize just how big the problem is.

However, the issue with the situation is less that it is happening and more that those outside the immediate student population do not realize it. It is either swept under the rug or simply not addressed by the entire school. This leaves plenty of room for the issue to grow and expand.

We at the Comet believe that instead of relying only on the same random drug testing process with questionable reliability, we should also try to address the issue in a less nonchalant way. If more attention were brought to the matter, the attitude towards drugs could change.

While many students now feel like they are very unlikely to be caught, by amping up the attention given to the substance abuse issue, many would realize that they could actually get into trouble.

When we also draw attention to the harms and consequences of substance abuse, maybe more will realize the negative effects of their actions. With substance abuse growing rapidly, it is time for the matter at hand to be explored instead of ignored. This issue needs more attention than a brief run-down in freshman PE classes. By changing the way we see drug culture in the school, the issue could be amended.