By OMAR RICARDO AQUIJE, The Post Star
Wednesday, December 3, 2008 8:59 AM EST

In the weekly update that Daniel Starr, superintendent at Corinth, posts on the school district's Web site, he recently wrote about a disturbing trend that began last spring at the high school and has continued into the fall.

Students at school have been caught selling or sharing prescription drugs.

School officials face a difficult challenge policing the use of prescription drugs, which, for many teens, are available in their medicine cabinet at home.

"My concern is, basically, a health one: A teenager or adolescent can take something and not be cognizant of what the side effects are going to be," said Starr in a telephone interview.

He wrote about the issue on the district's Web site to urge parents to stay aware of the number of pills they keep around their house. Pills that are easily reached can be pocketed not only by their own children, but by their children's friends.

Three students were caught with prescription drugs during the current school year at Corinth.

James Murphy, the Saratoga County district attorney, said he has seen a problem with prescription drugs in schools across Saratoga County.

The most common drugs found on teens have been Xanax, an anti-anxiety medication, and painkillers such as Percocet, Vicodin and Darvocet, he said.

"The thing that's alarming is that kids are getting them right at home," Murphy said. "This is not the crack sale where they are getting it on the corner at midnight."

Under the penal law, giving a prescription drug to someone is the same felony-level crime as selling it, Murphy said.

His office would typically reduce such charges to a misdemeanor for first-time offenders, youngsters who did not realize the seriousness of their actions, Murphy said.

Teens are sent to drug court for treatment if they have an addiction, Murphy said. In some instances, students have been taken to the hospital.

For doctors, treating people who have taken a mix of drugs can be difficult.

"It can really be challenging to take care of them," said Dr. Michael Holland, a medical toxicologist with Glens Falls Hospital. "Some kids are not very savvy ... They can be taking very dangerous medicines."

Vicodin, a brand-name painkiller, can cause drowsiness, even intoxication.

An overdose can create respiratory problems, Holland said.

Percocet, a drug prescribed to patients with chronic pain, is a potent painkiller in demand on the street, Holland said.

"That's a highly abused drug," he said. "People get them through medications, and sell them on the street."

At Hudson Falls, cases of students with prescription drugs began increasing about four or five years ago. While the exact number of cases were not available, it happened enough to cause concern among school leaders.

Officials found that students thought they were allowed to take the drugs because they were prescribed by physicians, even if the prescriptions were written for someone else, said Mark Doody, Hudson Falls superintendent.

The district, like others, has used education to confront the issue.

Police officers have been brought to talk with students and teachers about the legal consequences of possessing prescription drugs. It has been discussed in health classes, Doody said.

The emphasis on education has helped limit the problem, Doody said.

"We really have seen a decrease in the last couple of years," he said.

At other high schools like Glens Falls, Queensbury and Warrensburg, officials reported few instances in which students were found possessing prescription drugs.

Still, enough school officials in the area showed concern over the issue that the Council for Prevention of Alcohol and Substance Abuse added questions on prescription-drug use to surveys conducted last year at 15 school districts in Warren and Washington counties.

The result: 20 percent of teens say they used some prescription drug inappropriately, said David Saffer, the council's executive director.

"We do know that it is an issue," Saffer said. And, he said, "It's not just a local issue. It's a national issue."

Students caught with drugs are usually suspended until they have a hearing with the superintendent, who can hand down a stronger penalty, such as a long-term suspension.

Depending on circumstances, school officials might also call police.

Students serving lengthy suspensions might be assigned tutors at home or will attend an alternative education program at school.

In the past, students at Hudson Falls had their suspensions reduced after they agreed to participate in counseling, Doody said.

"I think it's important that we just don't punish the behavior, but we do something proactive to correct the behavior," he said.

Parents, officials agree, must play a big role in policing drugs in their home.

Prescription drugs that are no longer needed should be thrown out. And parents should count their pills to make sure none go missing.

For parents whose children have been caught using such drugs, the discovery can be disturbing.

"That's not something that's easy for a parent to accept," said Starr.

"Most parents assure me that they are going to address it at home. It's a tough spot," he said.