Drug use among high school-aged students in the area is increasing, as are the types of dangerous drugs they are using, officials say.

Nearly half the youths going to detention in the 32nd Judicial Circuit who were tested for drugs came up positive in the last three years.

Two years ago, 103 of the 144 total tests conducted were dirty, or positive for drug use. Of the 249 tests last year, 101 were dirty. So far in 2006, 129 out of the 315 tests were dirty.

And those numbers may not be accurate.

Krystal McLane, the case manager for Drug Court in the 32nd Circuit, which covers Cape Girardeau, Bollinger and Perry counties, speculated that far more youths are using drugs than her numbers show.

Youths interviewed at the Family Counseling Center admit to having a more extensive history than their drug tests show, according to McLane. Plus, several drugs leave a youth's system after 72 hours and would not show up in a test.

School administrators also hear from students about drug use that doesn't show up in statistics.

"The stories we hear from the kids are just mind-boggling," Cape Girardeau Central High School principal Mike Cowan said.

The days when youths only tried a couple puffs of a marijuana joint may be fading. McLane said the number using cocaine is growing.

The number of tests that came up positive for cocaine rose from four in 2004 to 11 in 2005. As of last week, seven tests were positive for cocaine use.

While not even seen in 2004, methamphetamine use has begun to show up in the test results of youths in detention, with two in 2005. Abuse of prescription drugs also is growing, according to McLane.

"What used to be the danger in mom and dad's liquor cabinet is now the danger in mom and dad's medicine cabinet," Cowan said.

He blames the easy access to prescription drugs for the rise in teenagers' drug abuse. About three years ago, a student took a cocktail of prescription drugs before school and nearly died during her first class, Cowan said.

Cowan sees another problem with the media turning drugs into a source of comedy as it did with alcohol. "It becomes appealing," he said.

Although McLane sees the increase in drug use among youths, there is little she can do about it on her end. Where a juvenile can be cited for possession of alcohol by just testing positive, youngsters who test positive for drugs cannot be cited into court for possession of narcotics. Even if they have a drug problem, as a dirty test may indicate, juveniles cannot be cited unless they have the drugs on their person, McLane said.

If the state law changed to allow a juvenile to be cited for possession by consumption, McLane said, she would be able to help more. "We could charge them and have services for them."

Within the drug court, McLane is able to have a tighter leash on her clients than other juveniles on probation in the 32nd Judicial Circuit. "The drug court steps it up a notch," she said.

The average drug testing for juveniles in drug court is one to three times a week, with some being tested daily, according to McLane.,

Ideally, youths stay in the program eight to 12 months. The average age is 14 to 16 years old. When they turn 17 they can no longer stay in the program. Violent offenders also do not qualify.

She advocates more education in schools about the dangers of drugs.

"Get in there, in the schools, and have the schools make sure the teachers and school resource officers know what they're looking for and warning kids on what they can do to your body," she said.

Jackson High School principal Rick McClard said youth drug use is a problem that extends past the schools. "It's not a school thing, it's a societal thing," he said.

Cowan agreed. The drug programs at the schools, such as DARE, do help educate youths about making good decisions. But ultimately, Cowan said, it still comes down to the youth.

McClard hopes everyone -- the schools, community and parents -- begin working with each other to help solve the problem of drug use among youths. "Until you get all groups together, you're not going to see results," he said.

kmorrison@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127