Drug Abuse by Teenagers
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Drug abuse has been a major target for government action for some time now, with the rhetoric of the drug war indicating an all-out attack on those who grow, produce, sell, or use drugs. Teenage drug users in particular are a source of concern, and government efforts to convince young people not to use drugs have been considerable. There is evidence that teenage drug use has been reduced from the high it reached a decade or so ago, and though the rate remains relatively high, the trend seems to be downward. The reason for this is in dispute. It may have been brought about by government efforts to reduce teenage drug use, or it may have been caused by some other social forces. A CNN report in 1999 noted that after years of rising numbers of teenage drug users, teenage use of a variety of illicit drugs declined or leveled off from 1997 to 1999. This study was conducted by the Partnership for a Drug Free America, a private, non profit organization is best known for its national anti drug advertising campaigns. The group said that drug use started going up in 1991, then leveled off in 1998 before showing a marginal decline (CNN). Of course, Partnership for a Drug-Free America has a stake in this battle, so its claim that drug use is declining might be seen as an attempt to prove the efficacy of its own campaigns. However, a government survey released in 1999 showed much the same thing, noting that one in 10 teenagers uses marijuana or other illegal drugs, a number down
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th, down from 11.4 percent in 1997. A second government survey using a different method to measure teen drug use found drug use stable over the previous two years after years on the rise. The Survey reported that the portion of teens ages 12 to 17 who stated that they had ever used drugs fell from 18.8 percent in 1997 to 16.4 percent in 1998. Marijuana use, which has fluctuated over the past few years, fell in 1998 to 8.3 percent among teens, back to its 1995 level but significantly higher than the 3.4 percent recorded in 1992(Meckler, 1999).
The high use of marijuana remains a concern not just for the use itself but because of fears of later drug use by marijuana smokers. So-called gateway drugs are those believed to be drugs for beginners, or drugs that young people use which lead them to harder drugs later. The rationale for many marijuana laws has long been that marijuana is a gateway drug so that even if marijuana use is not a problem in itself, it is the beginning point for greater problems in the future. Other substances seen as having the potential to be gateway drugs include tobacco and alcohol. Some commentators argue that one or more of these substances serve a gateway function and that those who smoke, drink, o
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Approximate Word count = 1484
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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