JOSEPH A. CALIFANO, JR.

 FOUNDER/CHAIRMAN

 NATIONAL CENTER ON ADDICTION AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE (CASA)

Parents have plenty to worry about, said Joseph A. Califano Jr., the founder and chairman of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University and keynote speaker at Monday’s event.

“Every kid in our country, sadly, is going to be offered drugs before graduating from high school,” said Califano, a former secretary of Health, Education and Welfare for the Carter administration.

According to surveys, two-thirds of the nation’s school kids “can buy marijuana in a day,” he said. “They’re not buying it from some guy in a trench coat in a dirty alley. They’re buying it from their friends and classmates.”

Drinking remains the number-one problem among teens, resulting in highway deaths, unwanted pregnancies and sexual assault, he said.

But high school seniors are also turning to prescription drugs to get high, he said. One in 13 seniors uses painkillers, stimulants or depressants.

Some students abuse drugs because their parents divorce, a loved one dies or they have been abused. Others do it out of boredom or because of peer pressure.

“We have this myth that all our problems are concentrated in the poor urban cities. That’s not the case. Kids with too much spending money are likely to use it on alcohol and drugs.”

Substance abuse signs include depression, stealing or borrowing money, secrecy, poor grades and irregular sleeping habits.

What should parents do? Talk to their children more, monitor their whereabouts and maintain family rituals, like eating together or going to church.

“This is not rocket science,” said Califano, who signed free copies of his book, “How to Raise a Drug-Free Kid.”