Every second level school in the State has been asked to draw up a detailed policy to prevent the abuse of alcohol, drugs and tobacco by students.
A new set of guidelines urges schools to do more to tackle the abuse of drugs, particularly alcohol and tobacco.
Publishing the guidelines, the Minister of State for Education, Ms Síle de Valera, said Ireland had a far worse drink problem than most European states.
She said the problem started early in life and schools had a role in addressing this.
The guidelines suggest that school managements and principals draw up sensible, but relevant policies, ideally with the input of students and the wider community.
Ms de Valera said the fight against drugs was "one of the great challenges for all countries in the modern world".
But she said the Republic needed to face up to the reality that "we actually have a more serious problem than a number of other countries with which we like to compare ourselves. This is particularly evident in relation to alcohol abuse," she said.
"For the population as a whole, alcohol consumption per capita in Ireland increased by 41 per cent in the period from 1989 to 1999, while the other EU member-states showed either a decrease or a modest increase.
"Ireland now has the second highest per capita consumption of alcohol in the EU," she stated.
"It is only by changing the attitudes and behaviours of our pupils in school that we can make a long-term and sustainable impact on the problem. These guidelines will assist schools in developing a substance abuse policy by following a step-by-step approach involving a 'whole school' model.
"Ideally, this will involve the participation of management, principal, teacher, parents/guardians, students, the local community and other relevant groups," she said.
"This will produce an agreed approach to the provision of education concerning alcohol, tobacco and drugs and, secondly, the procedures for managing incidents relating to these substances," said Ms de Valera.
"I would ask that all schools now begin the process of developing a drugs policy by setting up the consultative process suggested in the guidelines," she added.