Drugs and Vaping in the Burroughs Community

Drugs+and+Vaping+in+the+Burroughs+Community

Sruthi Dommaraju, Reporter

Although John Burroughs’ large and diverse student body cannot agree on much, there is at least one thing many agree on: Burroughs isn’t doing enough to address the growing drug and vaping problem many students are facing.

Why are Burroughs students turning to drugs, vaping, and alcohol? 

There is one big reason: students feel that the stress of high school unintentionally fosters the use of drugs, alcohol, and vaping. “Burroughs is very mentally taxing,” says one student. “Vaping and alcohol are like an outlet for my stress.” This idea of using drugs as a channel for the stresses of attending Burroughs is one the faculty are aware of, 11th/12th Grade Principal Jennifer Salrin says. “I think the societal approval of [adults] working hard and relaxing with alcohol is to blame,” Mrs. Salrin added. “We need to teach students to turn to other things that do not harm or hurt the development of the brain.”

In addition, some students pointed to intermingling between grades as leading younger students to adopting the habits of their older peers. One student explained, “I think as the upperclassmen get close with underclassmen, through sports, classes, and siblings, the legacy and the means to continue this behavior gets passed on.” If more and more students develop these habits, then the more and more they pass it on to younger students, and the vicious cycle continues. While many of the students interviewed agreed they never felt pressure to drink, smoke, or do drugs, students admitted that a lot of social hangouts revolve around these behaviors. One student expanded on how such activities help to establish closer relationships and a sense of trust: “I think alcohol, weed, and juuling has made me closer to my classmates,” they said. “Everyone who is doing it, we just connect. When the majority of people do it, it creates a culture for continuing this behavior.”

How many people are really partaking in these activities? 

Statistics from the 2018 Health survey for high schools show just how many students are turning to juuling and drugs. Out of the approximately 400 students surveyed in the upper school in the 2018-2019 school year, 160 kids admitted they had vaped before, with 12.19% saying they vaped at school at least once. When looking at drugs, Burroughs kids seem to come under the national average. One student said “While I have considered using other drugs, (besides marijuana), harder drugs than weed are not really on the scene.” This testament is also displayed in the health survey, 17.3% of students reported using marijuana in the last 30 days, which falls just under the national average of 20%.

How does JBS try to prevent these behaviors?

Although Burroughs is trying to prevent students from these behaviors, many students don’t believe it is helping. “I don’t think what Burroughs is doing is effective at all because people still vape,” says one student. “I thought Conversations that Count … [comes] too early, and everyone at that age is super innocent and has not been exposed. It is easy to 100% agree that you will not drink, do drugs, etc.,” says another. And a third student reports the only thing preventing juuling at school seems to be the “the one security camera in the back of the parking lot.”

What can JBS do to improve?

One student thinks that “JBS should have a juuling prevention seminar in seventh grade, and an alcohol and weed seminar at the beginning of freshman year.” Another student says “It just doesn’t feel like we are being told why we shouldn’t vape.” Ms. Salrin says that Burroughs is trying to improve in many aspects, such as helping with navigating uncomfortable situations and preventing the myth that exposure to these substances will help students in preparation for college. She also reported that the health survey opened their eyes to the great uptick of juuling in the student population. She said that after the health survey results came out, Burroughs has begun to consider how to “ensure getting students info they need in health programing and reevaluating and adjusting our curriculums” to include dangers of e-cigarettes.

What do you do if you have an addiction, but you don’t want to? 

Counseling & Wellness Department chair Jennifer Jones has an answer. “Coming to counseling would be great because we can connect you to community resources to help you figure out how to deal with the addiction,” she says. Although Burroughs’ prevention efforts have perhaps had mixed results, several students agree that they would be comfortable seeking help from the counseling department if they had an addiction.