DrugAbuse in Teens

Drug Abuse has been an issue in America for decades.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 1970, 93,300
juvenileswere arrested for drug abuse violations. Only about one
quarter of 12th graders (29%) think that regularuseofmarijuana
is wrong. In 12th graders, users of marijuana only have a 20%
chance of discontinuing use of the drug. Almost half (44%) of
students know someone at their school who sellsdrugs. Most
commonly reported was marijuana (91%) followed by prescription
drugs (24%), cocaine (9%), and ecstasy (7%). 20.7% of students
nationwide have reported usingprescriptiondrugs that were not
prescribed to them.
Teens developing brains are more vulnerable to the effects of
drugs than mature brains, making them more susceptible to
substanceabuse. 19.3% of students (age 12-17) with a D
average use marijuana. Side effects of the drug in teens include
damagedpsychosexualandemotionaldevelopment and lack of
motivation. Illicit drug use in adolescence can cause mental
health issues like depression and developmental lags and other
psychiatricdisorders. Teen marijuana users are twice as likely as
non-users to dropout of high school.