Outline

Outline

I. “According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 113 incidents of drugs in elementary and middle schools were reported for the 2005-2006 school year. Thirty-six incidents were reported in pre-kindergarten through fifth grades.” (Mims 1)

a. This fact from the article “investigators probe how fifth-graders got marijuana” is very shocking to a naÐ"Їve audience who would never suspect fifth graders with marijuana. Furthermore it explains that thirty six incidents were reported in pre-kindergarten through fifth graders.

i. When people think of illegal drugs and our school system, most people think of high school and maybe some middle schools that have kids attending using drugs and inhalants, but after reading the previous statistic many readers would not expect there to be issues of illegal drugs in elementary schools. The problems schools are having are more then just marijuana to, kids are using inhalants like spray paint and toxic glue to get “high,” kids are even going as far as using prescription drugs from their parents medicine cabinet.

b. “There are 47 million school age kids in America, currently over 27 million of them try drugs and alcohol each year.”

i. This statistic takes the first fact that was based in North Carolina and brings the drug problem in our schools to a national level. While there are 47 million school kids in America, the fact that 27 million of them try drugs and alcohol each year is astonishing, more then half of America’s school kids are still doing or have tried illegal drugs and alcohol. This further raises the question, are our schools doing a good job teaching our kids about drugs, and in addition the question, are kids being taught about illegal drug abuse at an early enough age, raises supplementary concern.

Thesis: America’s school kids need additional education on illegal drugs and substances because the school systems do not do everything in their power to properly instruct kids in grade school.

II. The problem with the American school systems drug education.

a. What is drug education

i. Drug education in schools

ii. strength of drug education

b. When kids are educated about drugs

i. Late drug education

ii. Continuity of drug education

c. drug Enforcement in schools

i. cracking down on drugs

ii. drug testing

III. the types of drugs young adults are abusing

a. prescription drugs and inhalants

i. popularity and availability

ii. education

b. marijuana