An Addicted Brain

Drugs Amongst Teens Amena Khatun Bronx High School of Science / Health (Period 1) Date: August 4, 2015 Instructor: Dr. Zach Lynn Drugs Amongst Teens Three decades from now, T.L.O., a student at a New Jersey High School was caught smoking in a school restroom, and was brought to the assistant principal’s office. The 14-years-old teenager denied smoking, so the assistant principal persisted in searching her purse and found cigarettes, and rolling paper which is associated with marijuana (T.L.O. vs. New Jersey). Nothing has changed since then. If you look a little closer, you can see teenagers lying around doing drugs here and there. They are no longer determined to succeed in life; instead all they can think about is where the next supply of cocaine will come from. What has our future come to? Research done by scientists and other professionals provide evidence that substance abuse by teenagers is an ever-growing problem due to teen’s poor judgement, it’s irreparable damage, and inability to compete with drug addiction.

Juvenile Smoking leading to use Marijuana (Research Methods for Criminal Justice) Name: Institution: Abstract Research has found that teenagers who used cigarettes were twelve times more likely to graduate to marijuana use. A similar study conducted by Denise Kandel (1992) revealed that use of marijuana affects dopamine levels in the brain in a similar way to nicotine. Cigarette smoking facilitates consumption of other substances. Smoking cigarettes initiate juveniles into the sensation of drug inhalation, which desensitizes them from the feeling of smoke clouding their lungs. This paper finds that marijuana pervades the life of a juvenile tobacco smoker. Teenagers who smoke cigarettes

The University of Michigan “annually survey in 2010 ” identified that adolescents nationwide, will start using drugs from 8, 10, and 12-grade use drugs, which include alcohol, Tabaco, marijuana, and other drugs; the survey shows the increased of marijuana use among high school seniors to daily basis. Consumption is the highest in comparison with the previous study nearly 65% of those students use marijuana as their primary drug of choice.

Macleod, J., et al., (2004). Psychological and social sequelae of cannabis and other illicit drug use by young people: a systematic review of longitudinal, general population studies. The Lancet, 363, 1579-1588.

There are three main types of drug education, sensational, affective and social. (Reist 19) With the first approach, educators use sensationalist claims and scare tactics to prevent young adults from trying drugs. This method has been proven to be remarkably ineffective, with recipients being more likely to turn to hard drugs and overdose. The second method, the affective approach, was not better. This method was based off the assumption that drug users and alcoholics have a chemical dependency because of a personal weakness or deficit. However, this method refused to acknowledge the recreational users at all. This was a major problem because people can use certain drugs and alcohol in small quantities, in a social setting without ruining their lives. These classes focused on improving decision making skills and improve individual self-esteem. The most current form of drug education focuses on helping young people resist social pressures to use drugs or alcohol. Although these programs have received more funding that other drug education programs, they are still ineffective, with the best programs only stopping or delaying drug use in the very small number of students. (Reist 21) For an education program to be effective, students need to receive truthful information about drugs and their impact on the body. Take cannabis for example, the current system teaches kids that trying

In 2013, more high school seniors regularly used marijuana than cigarettes as 22.7 percent smoked pot in the last month, compared to 16.3 percent who smoked cigarettes. Sixty percent of seniors don 't see regular marijuana use as harmful, but THC (the active ingredient in the drug that causes addiction) is nearly five times stronger than it was 20 years ago. One-third of teenagers who live in States with medical marijuana laws get their pot from other people 's prescriptions. The United States represents 5 percent of the world 's population and 75 percent of prescription drugs taken. Sixty percent of teens who abuse prescription drugs get them free from friends and relatives. The purpose of this study is to explore drug use in adolescent

In today's society, addiction is not viewed as brain disease. Many believe the act of taking illicit drugs or indulging in addictive behaviors, such as gambling, is a voluntary act. However, studies of the past few decades support the idea of addiction as brain disease. Unfortunately, this concept is still questioned because the behaviors of addiction have not yet been fully linked to neurobiology.

This study looks to find a link between social skills and young adolescent usage of cannabis. Previous research compiled by Griffith-Lendering, Huijbregts, Huizink, Ormel, Verhulst, Vollebergh and Swaab (2011) shows cannabis is one of the most widely used substances, with frequent occurrence among young adults. Cannabis usage during this developmental time is linked to educational problems, increased use of other illegal drugs and deviant behavior. Other factors that lead to increased use of cannabis include low socioeconomic status, poor academic performance, early usage of tobacco and alcohol, family problems, and externalized behavior. Studying precursors of cannabis use is important to preventing not only cannabis use, but also the use of other illegal drugs.

Introduction Canadian adolescents have among the highest rates of cannabis use compared to their peers in other developed countries. According to Statistics Canada in 2015, 22.4% of youth aged 15-19 reported past-year use of cannabis; among young adults aged 20-24, 26.2% reported past-year. This large amount of adolescents being exposed to marijuana raises concern due to the drugs negative effects on the developing brain. (Gruber et al, 2014). Among the negative effects are risk of greater substance use, legal problems, disruption education, injuries/medical problems, developing psychopathology, cognitive changes and chronic psychosocial struggles. (George et al., 2015). It is not fully known what the impact of marijuana use is on the adolescent brain and its development but there are many studies that have emerged to help better understand the effects. These studies include looking at the negative impact on cognitive function, self-destructive development and the consumption damages related to marijuana use in adolescents that will be covered.

Even though it is illegal if the drug abusers have not been caught they will continue to use the drug and use others. Many adolescences experiment with marijuana due to curiosity and peer pressure studies have shown that the use of marijuana at a young age causes the adolescences to want to try more dangerous narcotics such as cocaine and heroin. An article titled “Evidence That Marijuana Is a Gateway to other Illicit Drug Use” by Joseph Gfoerer, Li-Tzy Wu, and Michael Penne states that, “the highest prevalence of use of heroin, cocaine, and psychotherapeutics in the lifetime was noted among those who initiated marijuana before they were 15 years old. With many young people trying strong narcotics illegally it is no surprise that other young people will also become more apt to try these heavier drugs. The article, “Marijuana is a Dangerous Drug for Teens” by Joseph Calfifano discuses why marijuana is so dangerous for teens and how the gateway effect plays part in this problem. The article states that marijuana use is a “signal of trouble”, the troubles include lack of growth, focus, and motor skills. He also brings up the gateway effect in the article the statistics he uses include, “Twelve to seventeen year olds who smoke marijuana are eighty five times more likely to use cocaine than those who would not.” These statists are very strong in

Teenagers, Drugs , and Peer Pressure Drug use is an increasing problem among teenagers in today's high schools. Most drug use begins in the teenage years, these years are the most crucial in the maturing process. During these years adolescents are faced with the difficult tasks of discovering their self identity, clarifying their sexual roles, assenting independence, learning to cope with authority figures and searching for goals that would give their lives meaning. Drugs are readily available, adolescents are curious and venerable, and there is peer pressure to experiment, and there is a temptation to escape from conflicts. The use of drugs by teenagers is the result of a combination of factors such as peer pressure, curiosity, and

Drug Addiction in Adolescence to Adulthood Name Professor Institution Course Date Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………….3 Description of drug abuse…………………………………………………………………………3 Definition and the causes of drugabuse……………………………………………….….3 Drug regulation………………………………………………………………………...….4 Effects of drugs on humans…………………………………………………………………….….5 General effects of drugs on both adolescence and adults…………………………………5 Psychological effects of drug abuse……………………………………………………….5 Drug abuse during adolescence…………………………………………………………………...6 Reasons for drug abuse among adolescents……………………………………………….6 Risk factors of drug abuse among the adolescents………………………………….….…6 Drug abuse among adults……………………………………………………………………….…7 There are many reasons as to why adolescents use these substances involving the desire for new experiences, simple peer pressure, and an effort to deal with problems in life. Adolescents are termed to be biologically energetic to look for new experiences and take risks to carve out their own uniqueness. They think that trying out drugs may solve their normal developmental issues but it is an unhealthy way that can make them have severe prolonged consequences. Many factors influence whether an adolescent or an adults uses drugs. These factors include accessibility of drugs in the neighborhood and peer pressure. The family atmosphere matters a lot since violence, mental illness, emotional or physical abuse, and drug use in the family boosts the possibility that an adolescent will use drugs (Miller & Carroll, 2006). This paper aims at describing as well as distinguishing the effects of drug abuse and addiction in adolescent age groups to adulthood. The focus will be based on the dependence and substance use ranging from adolescence to adulthood stages.

It has been discovered that most people who struggle with drug addiction began experimenting with drugs in their teens. Teenage drug abuse is one of the largest problems in society today and the problem grows and larger every year. Drugs are a pervasive force in our culture today. To expect kids not to be influenced by the culture of their time is as unrealistic as believing in the tooth fairy (Bauman 140). Teens may feel pressured by their friends to try drugs, they may have easy access to drugs, they may use drugs to rebel against their family or society, or they may take an illegal drug because they are curious about it or the pleasure that it gives them.

Drug abuse is known to be a negative aspect on children's’ lives. Drug abuse is seen as the norm of today and thought of as a gateway from depression, stress, anxiety, and many other things teens suffer from today. It also comes from what the children are introduced to at home from their legal guardian. Even though drugs have been around and abused for quite some time now, drug abuse is at an all time high in today’s time. Some may wonder the question: How did drugs become the norm of today? Well, you see it everywhere. Places such as social media, tv shows, movies, and even the songs you hear everyday on the radio. It’s hard to even ignore the thought of drugs simply because it is plastered everywhere you go and mentioned in everything you hear. As adolescents, we are easily influenced by what we hear or see because our minds sometimes lack maturity. However, it must be realized that drugs are not the “cool” thing to do. To better understand them, it is important to know the different kind of drugs, the effects they have on your body and the consequences of using them.

A reduction or elimination of stigma associated with cannabis use may entice more people to try the substance. Although adults can use the substance in a low risk manner, there are more health concerns related to cannabis use in youth since their brains are not fully developed (CCSA, 2007, p. 17). Cognitive development becomes more rapid during teenage years; there are number of vital neurodevelopmental phases