Drug Abuse Implications in Reference to Marijuana use Drug abuse is too much consumption of drugs which results in problematic consequences as a result of the excessive consumption. The issue of drug abuse has presented major controversies as to whether or not is detrimental to health and should not be used or whether people have the absolute right to do whatever they may please with their lives so long as nobody else is being affected. The abuse of drugs has not only disastrous consequences for a drug user but his or her entire family as well. In the present times, the abuse of drugs is at its peak. Particularly in the third world countries and the developing countries, individuals and specifically youth has been involved in such nefarious activities which are only ruining their lives. At the name of freedom and liberty, many countries are disseminating such a mentality that every adult is free to his or her own life styles (Regier et al., 1990). The report by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that 24.6 million Americans aged 12 or older were current (past month) illicit drug users, which is a representative of 9.4 percent of this age group (SAMHSA, 2014). The use of psychoactive substance poses a detrimental effect to the health, social and economic fabric of families, communities and nations. The worldwide use of psychoactive substance is estimated at 2 billion alcohol users, 1.3 billion smokers and 185 million drug users
Addiction to drugs and alcohol has taken epidemic scale in the recent decades, the number of people affected by this disease has been increasing steadily and the age of drug and alcohol use initiation has sadly been decreasing, children as young as 12 years old are reported as addicts. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimated that 22.5 million Americans aged 12 and older self-reported needing treatment for alcohol or illicit drug use in 2014. Drug abuse and mental health disorders are commonly seen as coexisting conditions. They are among the top conditions that cause disability and carry a high burden in society.
About 24 million Americans over age 12 (or 9% of the population) have used an illegal drug (mostly marijuana) or abused a medication in the past month, (APA 2013). A drug is (1) any substance that affects the physical or mental functioning of a living organism, especially one used for the treatment or prevention of an ailment or disease or (2) a stimulant or narcotic taken otherwise than medically
Hall & Degenhardt explain in this article how marijuana has caused adverse health effects on non-medical cannabis usage in the United States. This article observes how the younger generation has caused an epidemic in the high income countries. These two authors researched through the past 10 years that the young generation that use marijuana for non-medical reasons cause problems and obstacles in their adulthood. They used several studies and observed the fact of public health’s
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) estimates substance abuse, whether it is smoking, alcohol abuse or illicit drugs, costs the nation over 700 billion dollars annually, (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2015). The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that, ” In the United States, 6.6% of persons aged 12 or older (an estimated 17.3 million individuals) in 2013 were dependent on or abused alcohol within the year prior to being surveyed”. Out of that 6.6% men had a higher rate of dependence or abuse with 8.7% being male and 4.6% being female. In the same survey it
The existence of a myriad of social problems among teenagers that both parents and states have to deal with is a factor whose weight ought not to be treated lightly. The increasing level of drug use among the adolescents constitutes one of the ever increasing situations in the society and may, as a matter of fact, be a representation other underlying issues. The level of the situation in the contemporary world, though not discussed as much as it ought to be, has reached alarming levels. There seems to be an increasing predisposition among the use to take the drugs as it's reflected in the escalating trends of drug abuse among this generation of individuals (spooner, 1999). The ever deteriorating levels of this situation coupled with the widespread permissiveness in the society and the absence of attention from appropriate caregivers at different institutions only means that the need to address the problem is paramount. Different avenues of solutions can be applied in reducing the level of the problem and averting the massive negative consequences that come with the phenomena. Dealing with this issue is not a matter of instance as the different parameters of the problems, its causes and possible workable solutions have to be discovered. As such, research on these dynamics is a mandatory undertaking.
America’s drug problem has increasingly become an epidemic. In a 2013 study done by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 24.6 million Americans, 9.4% of the population,
The topic of marijuana, both medicinal and recreational use, has been one of controversy over the past few decades. As with any drug, the abuse or overuse of marijuana can lead to adverse health effects. These effects are especially prominent and the most influential among adolescents, which substances in general pose the most risk too. Although the developmental influence of marijuana is detrimental to this population, it is not intended for adolescent use as is the case with alcohol. According to The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) published in 2016, rates of use among adolescents has
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) updated reports on the prevalence of substance addiction in 2015, illegal drugs use has been increasing in the entire United States. In 2013, approximately 24.6 million United States citizens aged 12 and above used illicit drugs. The increase represented a 9.4% of all the population consuming illegal drugs. In 2002, the total population of illicit drug use in America was approximately 8.3%. The increase in substance abuse has been attributed to the breakdown of social ethics in the society.
Marijuana, also known as cannabis, is a plant that is consider one of the many illegal sustains. Marijuana is a plant that clams to make people addicted like other drugs like meth, cocaine, and other harmful sustains. Marijuana has been refer as pot, grass, reefer, weed, herb, mary jane, or mj by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). (34) When mentioning of this plant, it cause sirs among the public about the dangerous use of the plant. The news media portal marijuana as harmful plants that changes people for the worst. For the past years, states has proposal to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. While other states has taken the actions of making the plant completely legal. With the change of the laws changing, marijuana has
Since the early 1960’s there have been an alarming increase in drug use in the United States in 1962, four million Americans had tried an illegal drug. By 1999, that number had risen to a staggering 88.7 million, according to the 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.
Drugs and alcohol have been used for medical and recreational purposes throughout history. With advancement of technology it has become easier and easier to access these substances. It is not only illegal drugs but prescription drugs that are being misused and wreaking havoc across the world. Even with billions of dollars being paid out to stop the war on drugs, the problem persists. People from all walks of life have been affected by drugs or are becoming drug addicts themselves. One particular group afflicted by the misuse of these substances is the children of drug addicted parents. According to Cattapan and Grimwade, “Drug use seen in one generation affects the lives of the next”. Children with one or both parents on drugs face huge
This leads to an increase in criminal activity such as neglect of familial duties, robberies to fund their dependency, and violence to defend their habits. The ‘drugee’ becomes a nuisance to society. Some become homeless and exhibit poor health habits such as malnutrition and tooth decay. Other negative effects include the transference of diseases because of needle sharing. Though drug use is a personal choice, the effects on the rest of society are undeniable. The best intentions are formulated on a personal level, but this is overcastted by its negative effects. This argument, however, is a bit one-sided because the reason for using and dependency varies between users.
The use of drugs is a controversial topic in society today. In general, addicts show a direct link between taking drugs and suffering from their effects. People abuse drugs for a wide variety of reasons. In most cases, the use of drugs will serve a type of purpose or will give some kind of reward. These reasons for use will differ with different kinds of drugs. Various reasons for using the substance can be pain relief, depression, anxiety and weariness, acceptance into a peer group, religion, and much more. Although reasons for using may vary for each individual, it is known by all that consequences of the abuse do exist. It is only further down the line when the effects of using can be seen.
Since 2000, the drug use rate in America has risen to the highest it’s ever been. In a survey done in 2009, 8.7 percent of people age 12 and up said that they used illegal substances within a month of taking the survey, a 9 percent increase since 2008 (Abuse, National Institute on Drug, 2010). This statistic alone is very concerning due to
A drug is a chemical substance applied into treating, diagnosing and preventing one from disease infections or a substance that is used by a person to enhance his or her physical and mental state in the perceived effect. Drugs used for different purposes and their effect depend on which cause for usage. It causes both positive and negative consequences directly to the user and in the long-run it affects the whole society or community. Drug addiction is the activity of uncontrollable dependence on a substance by the user no matter the harm caused by its usage. It is a habit that has been in many years hard to curb especially among the youths. “We must recognize that substance abuse and addiction is a disease, not a moral failing or easily abandoned self-indulgence,” (Califano, 2008).The cases of drug abuse have been on the rise over the recent years and resulted in crimes. The cases have a great effect affected the society in general since the reliable energetic youths have turned to drug abuse. However, some measures have been initiated to mitigate, curb and treat drug addiction in the society as outlined in the essay.