The vast majority of Braintree students at the middle and high school levels have never tried some of the most dangerous drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine and oxycontin, though significant percentages have used marijuana and alcohol, according to a survey distributed at the end of the last school year.

School Committee members digested the results at their meeting earlier this week with members of Braintree’s Community Partnership on Substance Abuse, which put together the document. It was distributed in May and reached 1,266 high school students (83 percent) and 1,214 middle school students (92 percent).

"To get to the root of the problem [with substance abuse], we need to do data collection," Mayor Joseph Sullivan said. "This is a societal issue and it's happening in every community. You need to confront it."

The survey is one part of a larger effort in Braintree to assess substance abuse in the town, educate residents about the dangers and teach them how to fight back. Earlier this summer, Town Hall hosted an opioid overdose response training seminar, and Braintree has held additional community events as well.

Parents were allowed to opt-out of the survey, though only a small amount did not let their children participate. In addition to those who opted out, some students were tardy or absent on the day of the survey, Director of Physical Education and Health Melonie Bennett said.

The results, including data that showed that more than 23 percent of high school students reported binge drinking (5 or more drinks at a time) three or more days during the previous month, were "not suprising" Bennett said.

"I truly believe everyone needs to be aware of it," she said.

A summary of the findings:

Tobacco

• 74 percent of H.S. students and 98 percent of M.S. students said they have never smoked a whole cigarette

• 7 percent of H.S. students said they have smoked a cigarette on school grounds at least once in the past 30 days

Alcohol

• 44 percent of H.S. students and 4 percent of M.S. students said they have had at least one alcoholic drink in the past 30 days

• 32 percent of H.S. students and 2 percent of M.S. students said they have had five or more alcoholic drinks in a row at least once in the past 30 days

• 9 percent of H.S. students and 6 percent of M.S. students said they have obtained alcohol from home

Marijuana

• 20 percent of H.S. students and 1 percent of M.S. students said they have used marijuana 30 or more times

• 74 percent of H.S. students and 96 percent of M.S. students said they have not used marijuana in the past 30 days

• 7 percent of H.S. students said they have used marijuana on school grounds in the past 30 days

Other Drugs

• 5 percent of H.S. students and less than 1 percent of M.S. students said they have used cocaine – same percentages for ecstasy

• 3 percent of H.S. students and less than 1 percent of M.S. students said they have used heroin

• 3 percent of H.S. students and less than 1 percent of M.S. students said they have used methamphetamines

• 2.5 percent of H.S. students and 1 percent of M.S. students said they have taken steroid pills or shots

Prescription Drugs

• 12 percent of H.S. students and less than 1 percent of M.S. students said they have used Ritalin/Adderall or other stimulant medication without prescription

• 10 percent of H.S. students and 2 percent of M.S. students said they have used over the counter medication to get high

• 7 percent of H.S. students and less than 1 percent of M.S. students said they have used Oxycontin/Percocet or other opiates without a prescription

• 2 percent of H.S. students and less than 1 percent of M.S. students said they have used opiates without a prescription 30 or more times

• 18 percent of H.S. students and 6 percent of M.S. students said they have taken a prescription drug not prescribed to them

Other

• 4 percent of H.S. students and 3 percent of M.S. students said they have sniffed glue or breathed aerosol sprays in the past 30 days

• 20 percent of H.S. students and 9 percent of M.S. students said they have been offered, sold or given an illegal drug on school property in the last year

• 10 percent of H.S. students and 4 percent of M.S. students said they have taken diet pills, powders or liquids without a doctor's advice to lose weight in the past 30 days

Do you have high school age children? Have you spoken with them about drug and alcohol abuse? Do these statistics surprise you? Would you ever administer an over the counter drug and alcohol screening test to your own child? Let us know in the comments section.