An Ounce of Prevention | By: Committee for Children This week's blog entry is written by Research Associate Several years ago I worked on a University of Washington research study on an intervention technique for teen marijuana use. One day I sat across from a 14-year-old boy, a freshman, who struck me as shy and unsure of himself. At first he gave me the impersonal, run-of-the-mill responses about his marijuana use, but as I probed deeper, he finally spilled the beans: he was a target of bullying. Walking down the hall had been torture for him, fraught with head slaps and “nudges” into lockers. He didn’t have many friends and his shy demeanor made it difficult for him to socialize. Without social support, the bullying intensified and he was fearful of crossing the parking lot after school alone. This, it turns out, was his impetus for smoking marijuana. He was approached by a student who used marijuana and, voilà, he had a friend group. That is, he had a friend group if he smoked, too. Concerned about what I had heard, I took this information back to a debriefing meeting with my colleagues. As it turns out, several others had students just like mine at the same school. All were victims of bullying and were using marijuana as a kind of social fortress to provide some protection. Obviously, using marijuana carried significant risk and consequences for the students, but, from their perspective, they didn’t have a choice. This situation highlights to me the importance of a healthy school climate. When students are bullied and don’t feel safe, they will turn to places they might otherwise avoid to alleviate the tremendous pressure they feel and the dread of walking the halls every day. With brains still developing into the mid 20s, students are at a disadvantage when it comes to brainstorming and implementing healthy solutions to bullying. It is up to the adults in their lives to help them find positive solutions and build a safe environment for students to develop and learn. I take great pride in Committee for Children’s focus on school climate and bullying prevention efforts, giving adults the tools necessary to make their schools welcoming places for all students.