Young people are using mood-changing substances at an increasingly younger age. Persistent substance abuse among youth is often accompanied by a plethora of problems, including school related hardships, health-related problems, poor family relationships, mental health issues, and run-ins with the justice system. There are also significant consequences involving the community, and society in general. Studies show drug use at a young age increases the desire to abuse as you get older. Society looks at drugs as being a taboo, which is the norm for our country. However other countries see drug use as a way of connection with oneself and others in another realm. Now whether drug use is harmless or harmful is a matter of your personal preference. The brain controls pretty much everything you do, even while asleep. When drugs enter the brain, the substance can disturb the organ and change how the brain performs its duties to function. These changes are what lead to a continuous yearning for drugs or addiction. The signals a drug sends to the brain get confused with that of a euphoric chemical called dopamine, which makes you feel good. After repeated use of drugs the brain in most cases becomes damaged and irreparable. Adolescents are more prone to addiction due to the fact that their brains are not yet fully developed. The lack of maturity of the brain give health specialist the theory that drug use at an older age will reduce the chances of addiction. Cannabis sativa or Marijuana is very much a debatable topic of whether it is useful or harmful. Several States have legalized the use of Cannabis for recreational and doctoral use! Marijuana contains THC, a chemical with the structure that is similar to that of the brain chemical anandam... ... middle of paper ... ...ision are contributions to juvenile substance abuse. As you say in class “the brain isn’t fully developed until the age 25”, therefore making dumb decisions are bound to happen. Having a immature mind allows room for error and persuasion to try something from friends may seem to be “in or cool”. According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that stress, boredom, and extra money were extreme factors in adolescents’ drug abuse. To prevent juvenile drug use communities provide programs to educate parents and children. Teens how are involved in the community and sports are more likely to not do drugs. Coming from someone who has had problems with substance abuse overcoming a problem is extremely hard. However having the support of family and friends is what gives most people the encouragement to overcome their addiction.
Thesis: Despite its legal status cannabis and CBD has been recognized as being beneficial in many ways. After all, cannabis and CBD has been medically beneficial when treating pain, seizures, and cancer.
While many teens abuse prescription drugs to feel a sense of euphoria and calmness, the short term and long term effects that come along with abusing the medication are not worth it. In the short term, commonly abused drugs such as narcotics
Marijuana is one of the oldest cultivated plants (Nahas 8). Since it became illegal in 1967, there have been questions of whether or not it is good for purposes, such as medicine, other than being a leisure drug. Debates between pro and con groups for the use of marijuana in the medical profession, have been heated and in recent months, referendums have been pasted in a least three states to make it accessible for medical treatment. Personally, I feel that marijuana has the potential to be a significant help with certain aliments, however, more research needs to be done to maximize its potential.
Alcohol is the most widely used drug among youth. It causes serious and potentially life-threatening problems for this population. Research indicates that drinking is associated with risk-taking and sensation-seeking behavior among adolescents. Alcohol has disinhibiting effects that may increase the likelihood of unsafe activities.In 1997, 21 percent of the young drivers 15 to 20 years old who were killed in crashes were intoxicated. For young drivers, alcohol involvement is higher among males than among females. In 1997, 25 percent of the young male drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking at the time of the crash, compared with 12 percent of the young female drivers involved in fatal crashes.According to national data, drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death among adolescents and young adults. Factors contributing to youth drowning include alcohol which can severely affect a swimmer's coordination and judgment. Forty to 50 percent of young males who drown were drinking when they died, and an equal percentage of all diving accidents are alcohol related.Approximately 240,000 to 360,000 of the nation's 12 million current undergraduates will ultimately die from alcohol-related causes.
The debate on Medical marijuana has been a controversial subject mainly because people have an abundance of opinions and very little scientific research to back up either side of the debate. The most important question here is “will medical marijuana be used for medical purposes or will it be used inappropriately?”
Drugs cause an overall disturbance in a subjects’ physiological, psychological and emotional health. “At the individual level, drug abuse creates health hazards for the user, affecting the educational and general development of youths in particular” (“Fresh Challenge”). In youth specifically, drug abuse can be triggered by factors such as: a parent’s abusive behavior, poor social skills, family history of alcoholism or substance abuse, the divorce of parents or guardians, poverty, the death of a loved one, or even because they are being bullied at school (“Drugs, brains, and behavior”) .
Cannabis is a natural plant that has been made illegal by the United States, and has been a controversial topic ever since the 1920’s. Marijuana is a substance that has been used hundreds of years ago as an herbal medicine and also can be used for textile products from hemp, which is from the Cannabis Sativa plant. Because of marijuana being categorized as a schedule one substance, it has no medical value and cannot be researched in the United States. Marijuana is said to be a gateway drug and is very unhealthy for adolescents with premature brains. The marijuana prohibition should finally come to a close because there are many benefits from cannabis and it is less harmful than both alcohol and tobacco.
There are many other uses for medical cannabis including treating symptoms of IBS, Chron’s disease and other gastrointestinal disorders, pain relief from cancer and multiple sclerosis, the prevention of Alzheimer’s and helping individuals suffering from ADD, seizures or Tourette’s. Unfortunately, the federal government fails to see the many benefits of cannabis and clear proof shown in the countless peer-reviewed studies done through the years and instead maintains its classification as one of the most dangerous drugs with no acceptable medical benefits. More and more states are taking steps to regain their rightful authority from an over-reaching federal government, and taking the necessary steps to offer relief to many patients suffering from a wide array of maladies.
Heroin addicts become addicted to the drug at such a young age. Teenagers start experiencing the drug around their high school years. Those students often go to parties that don’t just contain underage drinking but hardcore drugs. Teenagers are sucked into trying the drug at most high school parties, that lead into them being addicted to heroin. Heroin is one of the most top rated peer pressured drug. Most teenagers only try the drug at the parties that they go to, but the more and more parties they go to the more they will start to crave it on a daily basis and become addicted to it. They start to crave the drug when they aren’t at the parties, they are either at home or at school waiting to feel the rush that heroin gave them. Teenagers don’t
The use of drugs and mind-alternating substances has been a part of society for decades. The ‘high’ that people attain from the use of such substances is very attractive and exciting however, the effects of this use are minimized. Particularly for youth, a group of individuals who are seeking independence and experimentation, drug use represents the balance between taking risks and taking responsibility for one’s actions. However, the developmental processes of adolescents are known to not encompass the maturity required to fully think through such decisions. As such, the use of a ‘smaller-scale’ drug like marijuana is even more minimized. The purpose of this paper is to discuss what the risks of using marijuana are for youths, why they are the most affected, how this problem has progressed over the last three decades, and what preventative measures and treatment options are in place. It will also discuss what schools, parents, and government agencies could be doing to help improve the issue, and the impact that this issue is having on society.
Drug and alcohol abuse causes longer lasting effects on the teen brain than the adult brain. One reason is that a teenager's brain has more receptors. When drugs enter the body, they bind to receptors producing the various effects. For example, when a teen smokes marijuana, the brain holds onto the cannabis for an extended period of time in comparison with the adult brain. Cognitive function is impaired for a longer period of time in the form of memory, concentration, and learning ability. Addiction is believed to be a disease influenced by behaviors that are learned. During the young adult years the brain is growing and learning how to behave making teens more likely to fall victim to dependency and addiction. In a recent study, adolescent rats worked harder and longer for cocaine than adult rats, showing that teens become addicted more quickly and become more dependent on the substance. Dependency and addiction can cause problems of their own and chronic abuse of some substances can be
Adolescences in particular can be easily influenced to abusing a drug or multiple drugs. I believe this happens because teens often lack education, live in an environment where drugs are readily available, are peer-pressured and the lack of proper growth of the frontal lobe. Many factors contribute to adolescences experimenting with drugs. As side from being a child, the adolescence stage is of great importance. Healthy habits and activities are supposed to be instilled within this stage of life. The adolescence stage can be very perplexing and what is made into a habit then is easily carried on into adulthood. Our genes act together with our environment to contribute to the addictive behaviors we are motivated to develop. If addiction is left untreated it can ultimately lead to de...
After interviewing my teenage cousin whom has been in several altercations at home and school, enlightened me on the ways that teenagers in her age group gets involved in drug use. Kids start as young as ten years of age using, selling, and experimenting with drugs. My teenage cousin was expelled from public schools when she started experimenting with drugs. She was surrounded by many challenges when she enrolled in the alternative behavioral school. Many students, whom attend the alternative behavioral school use drugs, sell drugs, are on probation, have been arrested, engage in sexual activity and drink alcohol.
A considerable amount of literature has been published on cannabis specifically marijuana. These studies classify marijuana into three species: Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and cannabis ruderalis. In fact, Cannabis sativa is the most widely used and recognized among the other species due to its ability to produce more fiber and oil. For many years, the plant has been used for making clothes as well as lighting and soap. Nevertheless, cannabis is widely used at the present time for intoxication and medical treatments. Marijuana is usually extracted from the flowers of the female plant (Grinspoon & Bakalar, 1993). According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana is well-defined as the “dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa, which contains the psychoactive (mind-altering) chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), as well as other related compounds. This plant material can also be concentrated in a resin called hashish” (NIDA, 2014).
Few people deny the dangers of drug use, while many teens are curious about drugs. They should stay away from drugs because drugs affect our health, lead to academic failure, and jeopardizes safety. Drugs are used from a long period of time in many countries. The concentration of drugs has increased from late 1960’s and 1970’s. Drugs can quickly takeover our lives. Friends and acquaintance have the greatest influence of using drugs during adolescence.