Students in California are being lured and attracted by a new street drug called 'Paint'. Many students of a small California school are purchasing this highly addictive psychedelic drug for $5 a pill. The wide circulation of the drug has prompted warnings from school officials.
The drug is being secretly sold by the students around the Mesa Verde High School. It is a public high school in Citrus Heights, California in the San Juan Unified School District. School administrators informed the parents about this drug in a letter warning.
Dangerous and Highly Addictive Drug
"Mesa Verde High School was notified early this week that there is a concern about a drug called "Paint" being sold at school," the letter obtained by CBS 13 Sacramento read. The school further revealed that the drug is a pill with "psychedelic effects" and is "known to be highly addictive".
The drug is described as a clear pill capsule with red/brown dust. The school told CBS 13 that the cost of the drug is $5 per pill and many students are engaging in fights over it. The school authorities have asked parents to have a proper conversation about the drug with their kids.
Parents Shocked by Reading the 'Warning Letter'
A mother named Nation Caramazza, whose son Cipper studies in the school, was shocked after reading the letter.
While speaking to CBS 13, she said, "I'm thinking, 'How on Earth are kids getting a hold of that?"' She continued, "These things can be really dangerous because you don't know what's in them."
Cipper said, "No one's tried to sell it to me, but I've had friends say that people are trying to sell it to them and it's scary because I'm like, 'What if someone tries to sell it to me' and things go haywire because I say no."
Another parent, Jamilla Wren was also worried and disappointed after going through the letter. He has sophomore at the school. According to her, the youth are "out of control."
"I feel that we don't have any control over our youth, they're just out of control," Wren told CBS 13. "You have to pray and you have to teach your children that it's not appropriate."
It is still not clear how the students are possessing the drug or how it is being circulated throughout the school. The school administrators are investigating the matter.
Drug Use Among Youth
Youth drug abuse is a high-profile public health concern. Alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco are substances most commonly used by adolescents in the U.S.
According to National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics (NCDAS), drug use among 8th graders in America increased 61% between 2016 and 2020. The data also says that 50% of teenagers have misused a drug at least once and 43% of college students use illicit drugs.
