OKEECHOBEE — At the last few school board meetings a trend seemed to appear. Four students were recommended for expulsion at the December meeting of the Okeechobee County School Board for violating the student code of conduct for drug use/possession. At the following meeting on Jan. 20 another three students were recommended for expulsion for the same violation.

As of Jan. 20, 2026, Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services Joseph Stanley confirmed there had been 10 drug-related expulsions for the 2025-2026 school year.

Then two more students were recommended for expulsion for drug use/possession at the Feb. 10 meeting of the school board, bringing the total to 12. All of which were marijuana related.

How bad is marijuana abuse amongst children and teens in Okeechobee?

According to local studies done by the Department of Children and Families, as of 2024, 13.1% of children and teens in Okeechobee County report using marijuana or hashish.

That may induce a sigh of relief for some parents who believe marijuana isn’t a “more serious” drug like fentanyl, cocaine or methamphetamines. In the last decade legal penalties for marijuana use and possession have been reduced and the overall public perception of the drug seems to have softened. Does that mean it cannot have a serious impact, especially on the developing brains of children and teens?

What affects does marijuana have on the adolescent brain?

One of the earliest studies (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2801665/) conducted on marijuana in relation to adolescent neurocognitive development by Richard H. Schwartz, MD; Paul J. Gruenewald, PhD; Michael Klitzner, PhD. was published in 1989. Marijuana-dependent adolescents ages 14-16 were evaluated for verbal and nonverbal memory performance. This study found that short-term memory loss continued after even six weeks of monitored abstinence from the drug.

A more recent report, "Effects of Cannabis on the Adolescent Brain", by Joanna Jacobus and Susan F Tapert, Ph.D., published in 2014 states:
“Our first prospective investigation found that cumulative marijuana use over the course of eight years (teens followed from ages 13–30) was related to poorer performance on measures of attentional functioning. In a subsequent cross-sectional study of adolescent marijuana users ages 16–18, we found that marijuana users demonstrated slower processing speed, poorer verbal learning and memory, and sequencing abilities. In order to better understand acute changes with abstinence, we examined neurocognitive performance over three weeks of monitored abstinence in marijuana users ages 15–19. Between-group differences in attention, learning, and memory were identified at baseline, however while learning and memory performance reached similar levels of performance to controls after three weeks of abstinence, attention differences persisted.”

According to the article "Marijuana Use Among Teens and Young Adults"  by Lauren Geoffrion, M.D., "In 2022, the Monitoring the Future Survey of middle and high school students found that 30.7% of 12^th graders reported using marijuana in the past year, a number that remained consistent from the previous year but decreased from 2020.² Of those 12^th graders, 6.3% of them reported daily marijuana use."

The good news is that the Florida Youth Substance Abuse Surveys (FYSAS) conducted yearly by the Department of Children and Families reports that overall “substantially fewer Florida students are initiating the use of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana at a young age. The number of high school students reporting early initiation of alcohol experimentation (age 13 or younger) decreased from 25.4% in 2012 to 13.2% in 2024. Early initiation of cigarette use decreased from 14.5% in 2012 to 4.3% in 2024, and early initiation of marijuana use dropped from 11.7% in 2012 to 5.1% in 2024.”

The fact remains, there are still students in Florida and in the community of Okeechobee using marijuana and other substances on a daily basis and while marijuana specifically may have been decriminalized in recent years, studies suggest it has negative impacts on the growing adolescent brain.

Is your child using marijuana? Do you know what signs to look for?

AmericanAddictionCenters.org offers the following signs that your child may be using marijuana:
• Smelling like marijuana
• Red or bloodshot eyes
• Delayed reaction times
• Mood swings
• Laziness and tiredness
• The presence of marijuana related paraphernalia
• Paranoia or anxiousness

Additionally, if you find any of the following in your child’s possession: Hand pipes and water pipes, joints or blunts (wrapped like a cigarette), hookahs, vaporizers, oils, edibles (i.e. brownies, cookies, etc.).

Health officials advise parents to talk to children and teens about the importance of abstinence from drugs and alcohol. If you aren’t sure what to say or how to approach the subject, there are many online resources available:

• MayoClinic.org - “Teen drug abuse: Help your teen avoid drugs” (www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/teen-drug-abuse/art-20045921)
• KidsHealth.org - “Talking to Your Kids About Drugs” (kidshealth.org/en/parents/talk-about-drugs.html).
• Adf.org.au (Alchohold and Drug Foundation) - “Explaining addiction to a child” (adf.org.au/talking-about-drugs/parenting-talk/children-preteens/explaining-addiction-child/)

Your child’s pediatrician and school counselor can offer more resources as well as speaking to your child themselves.

Daily use of drugs and alcohol can lead to more than just poor grades. It can result in your child being arrested. Okeechobee County Schools has a zero tolerance policy for drug and alcohol possession on school grounds. If your student is caught on campus selling or in possession of drugs or alcohol, law enforcement will be called.

If you know your child is using marijuana or other substances on a regular basis it is important to make sure they understand the risks, and get them appropriate medical treatment. Consult your child's pediatrician or school counselor if you are unsure about how to begin the process of getting a child treated for substance or alcohol abuse.