His observation that school is a microcosm of wider society is bang-on and so it would be surprising if there were no incidents. 

However, the sharp spike suggests either more students are toying with drug use or they are being careless and getting caught more frequently. And the fact our region has topped the state in the reported number of incidents is certainly not something of which we should be proud. It probably also reflects an uncomfortable truth, that much of our local drug use is intergenerational.

While the majority of incidents reported in NSW related to cannabis, parents should not be lulled into believing the risks their children are taking with the drug are somehow not as serious as with harder drugs. They should certainly not  assume their brushes with pot in their teen years reflect the modern reality of cannabis grown industrially, yielding exponentially more potency with every joint. 

There is plenty of evidence to link the super-strong hydroponic cannabis dealt on our streets with the onset of mental illness in young people. Add to that the likelihood it will for many be a gateway drug to other far more serious substances such as methamphetamine and you see how serious an issue it can become.

Tackling it will require a lot more than a heavy handed law and order approach, a lot more than parental hysteria. The teen years are a period of rebellion and experimentation. Toying with drugs and alcohol is part of the process of growing up. 

Knowing that, we need to arm our teenagers with all the facts about drugs to help them navigate their way around them.