What’s with Teens and Drugs?

          Drugs are very popular with today’s youth. Many teens believe that if they do drugs then they will be the cool kids on campus. Smoking cigarettes is just the first step when youths start to turn to drugs. According to the American Lung Association, they estimate that every minute 4,800 teens will take their first drag of a cigarette. Of those 4,800, about 2,000 will become chain smokers, which lead to the fact that 80 percent of adult smokers started when they were teens [1]. Many teens believe that smoking makes them feel like they are cool and living dangerously. Teens who unwittingly take that first drag of the cigarette aren’t concerned that they can get addicted after they are done with that first cigarette. Teens who smoke feel a rush knowing that they are breaking the law along with their parents rules, which is addiction enough for them to smoke. All kids want attention and they will do anything to attain it, whether it’s good or bad. By smoking, teens get all sorts of looks from other teens and adults aren’t too happy about it and have no idea what to do. Research has shown that the teens between 13 and 17 years old who smoke daily are the ones who are more likely to use other drugs. Peer pressure is a big cause for today’s youth, which leads to the use of other drugs [1].

            Many teens succumb to peer pressure. When teens see their friends taking drugs, they usually get threatened with the usual terms of “all the cool kids do it” or “if you are my friend then you would do it too.” The problem with peer pressure is that most of the time it works. Teens don’t think about the consequences but instead their minds are in the now mode. Marijuana is the number one drug teens use, next to smoking. About half of the people in the United States have used marijuana [2]. Marijuana is called the gateway drug, which means it is the first step for people to start using more hardcore drugs. According to a 2009 survey called Monitoring the Future, about 7 percent of 8th-graders, 16 percent of 10th-graders, and 21 percent of 12th-graders had used marijuana in the month before the survey. In fact, marijuana use declined from the late 1990s through 2007, with a decrease in past-year use of more than 20 percent in all three grades combined from 2000 to 2007. Unfortunately, this trend appears to be slowing, and marijuana use remains at unacceptably high levels, as the most commonly used illegal drug [3].

[1] “Teens and Smoking Tobacco” Accessed on December 5, 2010. http://www.teendrugabuse.us/teensmoking.html

[2] “Drugs That Teens Abuse” Accessed on December 5, 2010. http://www.focusas.com/SubstanceAbuse-Drugs.html

[3] “Marijuana” Accessed on December 5, 2010. http://teens.drugabuse.gov/facts/facts_mj1.php

Getting Locked up for Drugs; Who gets the worst punishment?

         People from every race use drugs. But lately, when people think of drugs they think of African Americans. The crazy thing about this is the fact that African Americans only make up 12 percent of all the illegal drug use. Now this could be looked at as a minor issue, but the reason African Americans are tied to drugs has to due with the fact that they make up 44 percent of all drug arrests [1]. The main drug that gets the black community into trouble is crack cocaine because they are primarily the ones who use it. Crack cocaine is a drug that brings heavy charges to whoever is in possession of the drug. Crack Cocaine was founded in the 1980s in U.S. inner cities and is a lot cheaper than powdered cocaine. With it being much cheaper than powered cocaine, crack cocaine became the drug of choice for the poor drug users [1].

            When people of color get arrested for drugs, their punishments tend to be more severe than their white counterparts, especially in regards to crack cocaine. If someone is found to have 5 grams of crack on them, then that person will receive a five year minimum sentence. In order to meet that sentence, a person would need to sell 500 grams of powdered cocaine [2]. Before 1986, the average federal drug sentence for African Americans was 11 percent higher than for whites. Once the enactment of federal mandatory minimum sentencing for crack cocaine offenses passed, the average federal drug sentence for African Americans skyrocketed to 49 percent [2]. The racial disparities in drug arrests and convictions have had a devastating effect on families. Of the 1.5 million minor children who had a parent incarcerated in 1999, African American children were nearly nine times more likely to have a parent incarcerated than white children and Latino children were three times more likely to have a parent incarcerated than white children [2].

On the federal level, several convicted crack offenders have argued that the discrepancy between sentences for crack and powder cocaine violates equal protection, or due process, but nearly every appellate court has rejected this argument. Lawmakers have also rejected the assertion that racial discrepancies are unjust [1]. In April 1995 the U.S. Sentencing Commission proposed abandoning the guidelines. Determining that the penalties were too harsh, the seven-member commission voted 4 to 3 to equalize penalties for crack and powder cocaine. Although most black members of Congress supported changing the sentencing guidelines, conservatives argued that crack sentencing had nothing to do with race and that revising the guidelines would allow serious offenders to serve little or no time [1]. The penalties remained intact. As long as the war on drugs remains a priority for domestic policy, prosecution and incarceration for drug crimes will continue on a large scale. The challenge facing legislators, attorneys, and the courts is how to make a system that reduces the effects of drug use on U.S. society, while avoiding excessive punishment of particular societal groups [1].

[1] “Drugs and Narcotics - Crack Cocaine, Race, And The War On Drugs” Accessed on December 4, 2010. <http://law.jrank.org/pages/6299/Drugs-Narcotics-CRACK-COCAINE-RACE-WAR-ON-DRUGS.html>  

[2] “Race and the Drug War” Accessed on December 4, 2010.

http://www.drugpolicy.org/communities/race/

Gender and Drugs; Who wants Some?

         Gender plays a big role in the use and abuse of drugs. Both men and women alike get addicted to certain kinds of drugs, with some of these drugs being dominated by men and others being dominated by women. Men and women, if given the opportunity, are equally willing to try drugs for the first time and to progress from initial use to addiction but men are more likely to have the opportunities to use drugs. When it comes to hardcore drugs, both men and women are equally likely to become addicted or dependent on them such as cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, tobacco, and inhalants. Women appear to become more addicted to or dependent on sedatives and drugs designed to treat anxiety or sleeplessness. At the same time, women are less likely than men to abuse alcohol and marijuana [1].

            Many people smoke cigarettes, both men and women. The reason why people get addicted to cigarettes is because of the nicotine. Nicotine can be found in tobacco leaves and can enter the body when someone smokes, chews, or sniffs it and when they do, it goes directly to the brain. Nicotine is the reason why people keep smoking, even though people know that cigarettes are harmful to the body.  Nicotine is so harmful that one drop could kill a person. When a person smokes a cigarette, they only inhale some of the smoke which only gets partially absorbed into the lungs and at the same time they only receive 1 to 2 milligrams of nicotine with each cigarette [2]. Men and women equally smoke cigarettes and can become addicted to nicotine but women are more than likely to smoke cigarettes with less nicotine and don’t inhale as much smoke as men [1].

            Drugs will always be around in the world and people, men and women, will have those uncontrollable urges and will want to keep doing those drugs because of their addictive properties. Many people believe that if they only try the drug one time they won’t get addicted but that’s not entirely true. The more hardcore drugs, such as meth and crack cocaine, can have a person hooked after one try whether they are male or female. All in all, nobody is safe from drugs and people need to do their best to stay clean.

[1]“Addiction and Gender Differences.” Accessed December 2, 2010. http://www.addiction-help-line.com/gender_differences.html

[2]“Nicotine.” Accessed December 2, 2010. http://www.medicinenet.com/nicotine/article.html



Many Gays Turn to Drugs to Solve their Problems; Is that the right Answer?

            Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transsexuals, commonly abbreviated as LGBT, have all been victims of harassment and beatings for several years. Many LGBTs believe they need to stay hidden or, “in the closet,” as most people would call it. By staying “in the closet,” LGBTs attempt to avoid the risk of getting harassed or beaten. When LGBTs do decide to come out of the closet, they believe that it is the right time and that they have that support system. However, many LGBTs who do decide to come out do not have that support system in place, which leads them to turn to drugs or even worse, suicide. Dr. Michael P. Marshal of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center conducted a study on the drug usage by LGBT’s. The results of his study showed that LGBT teens are 190% more likely to use drugs and alcohol than heterosexual teens, and the usage rate is higher among certain subgroups. Drug and alcohol abuse among bisexual youth is 340% higher than the rate among straight teens and with lesbians the number skyrockets to 400% [1]. According to Marshal, “Homophobia, discrimination, and victimization are largely what are responsible for these substance use disparities in young gay people. History shows that when marginalized groups are oppressed and do not have equal opportunities and equal rights, they suffer. Our results show that gay youth are clearly no exception" [1].

LAMBDA, which is an advocacy association dedicated to improving the quality of life of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth, says the effects of pressure and discrimination go beyond alcohol and drug use, to mainly suicide. LAMBDA reported that gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual counterparts. Thirty percent of these suicides that are successful are by gay, lesbian, and bisexual youths. Forty percent of the street kids today are gay, lesbian, and bisexual and many of them turn to prostitution or other abusive situations after leaving their homes either by running away or being tossed out. Also 1 in 4 LGBT youth have severe drug or alcohol problems [1]. Because drug addiction is a group problem, it is up to the gay community as a whole to change the behavior of its citizens. Until this community stands up and says "crystal meth is bad" in a committed, organized way, the levels of addiction – and subsequent health problems – will continue on at a high level [2].

Steps need to be taken to help these LGBT teens and to prevent them from falling into bad habits. Straight people need to be more welcoming to other people and they way they choose to live their lives. People need to be more aware of how they treat others and what the end result could be if one treats others in a negative manner. Many people do not think twice about how their actions can affect others. Some of these victims of abuse are being harassed and are going home and taking drugs or even trying to commit suicide. If the proper steps are taken and society is made aware of the connection between LGBT’s and drugs, then maybe the rate will decrease to eventually not having anybody turn to drugs to help them deal with the pain.

[1]McBride, Hugh C. “Gay Teens Turning to Drugs and Alcohol.” Accessed on November 23, 2010. http://www.teen-drug-abuse.org/gayteens_alcoholdrugs.php

[2]"Partying to Death: Drug Abuse and Gay Nightlife Culture." Accessed on November 23, 2010. http://www.michaelshouse.com/featured-articles/drug-abuse-gay-nightlife.html