A Foley Middle School student was arrested last week for possession of drugs during school, according to Terry Wilhite, director of communications for the Baldwin County School System.

The Foley Middle School student arrested on Wednesday was in the eighth grade. The student’s name has not been released due to his status as a juvenile. He was allegedly found on school property in possession of marijuana. According to school officials, it appeared he was trying to sell the drug to another student.

Wilhite said the student has already been suspended and will face an expulsion hearing in the near future.

“Unfortunately, drug use by middle school students is a nationwide trend,” said Wilhite. “Keeping campuses drug free takes a partnership of parents, schools, residents and the police.”

The Foley Police Department routinely uses their K9s to monitor drugs in local schools, but due to budget constraints of recent years, random drug testing is no longer used in the Baldwin County School System.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports issued this year, 10 percent of the U.S. population aged 12 and older had used marijuana in the past year. In 2009, of eighth graders polled nationally, 16 percent had used marijuana at some point, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy.