Educational Implications of Drug Abuse

Abstract

Observing the steady decrease in SAT scores during the past decade, while noting the steady increase in licit and illicit drug use during the same time period, several conclusions emphasized the potentially deleterious effects of such drug use upon emerging adolescent cognitive processes, especially learning and memory. Possible drug-behavior relationships were viewed from a developmental perspective (e.g., sex, age, and maturation rate), insofar as drug effects will be directly related to the level of physiological and psychological maturation achieved by the drug user. Consequently, proposals were made dealing with drug education in the schools, as well as the need for graduate and undergraduate programs in substance abuse.