Drug shipment “spillover” across the U.S.– Mexico border results in increased drug availability in border cities (Wagner et al.,2011). Northern Mexico is experiencing a budding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic, particularly among injection drug users (IDUs); who are at an increased risk of blood-borne infections, hepatitis C virus (HCV), HIV, and Syphilis due to availability of drugs, increased rates of unprotected sex, and needle sharing (Frost et al., 2006). Patterson reported 75% of female sex workers (FSWs) in Ciudad (Cd.) Juárez, Mexico were injection drug users (IDUs) (2006). FSWs in these border cities who had recently injected drugs presented a significantly higher risk for sexual risk-behaviors compared to other FSWs, …show more content…
Then blood was drawn to test for viruses. All participants were provided counseling before and after their interviews and treatment referrals. Log-linear models were used to investigate the association between the status of the recruiter and those they referred. Syphilis population estimates were obtained using RDS-based estimators of personal network size to correct biased sampling (Frost et al., 2006).
The prevalence of HCV was 96.6% and 95.3% in Tijuana and Cd. Juárez respectively; HIV prevalence was 1.9% and 4.1% in Tijuana and Cd. Juárez respectively, and in Cd. Juárez HBV prevalence was 84.7%. The estimated syphilis prevalence ranged from 12.4-26.8% in Tijuana and 2.9-15.6% in Cd. Juárez. The variance in syphilis prevalence was due the dependency on the pattern of recruitment and how much network size was assumed to affect sample probability. Results showed syphilis prevalence increased in women and Tijuana in comparison to men and Cd. Juárez. The results show that network size and gender are both potential confounders. The qualifiers for network size are subjective thus relate to the recruitee and syphilis level. Because female prostitutes are more likely to be IUD users, gender also relates to IDU and syphilis level. In conclusion, there was a low HIV prevalence, high syphilis prevalence, and
To illustrate the magnitude of the research problem and provide a frame of reference, this section begins with a brief overview of the increased use of pharmaceuticals and prescription drug abuse in the US. The section continues with the relationship between illicit drugs and prescriptions, adolescents’ abuse, personal and social factors; then concludes with the theoretical approach. The Social-Ecological Theory, will be applied in researching prescription drug abuse, possible influences and protective factors in adolescents in relation to prescription drug abuse, to develop focused intervention strategies and educational programs for this population, similar to other substances such as tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana.
Injection drug use in the county is a multigenerational activity, with as many as three generations of a family and multiple community members injecting together. According to Conrad el al (2015), the reported daily numbers of injections ranged from 4 to 15, with reported number of injection partners ranging from one to six patients. The sharing of needles because of the non-availability of these needles is the major contributing factor to the HIV infection epidemic among IDUs in the county.
Whichever stance you may have on the matter, it is pretty evident that drug use is increasingly prevalent and an ongoing issue in the United States. “Drug use is on the rise in this country and 23.5 million Americans are addicted to alcohol and drugs. That’s approximately one in every 10 Americans over the age of 12 – roughly equal to the entire population of Texas” said Dr. Kima Joy Taylor, director of the CATG Initiative (Drugfree.org). Because of facts like these, the War on Drugs was created with the proposed mission to deplete the number of drugs being consumed and sold in the United States. After over forty years since Nixon declared it, the War on Drugs has continuingly failed its promises and created additional social problems for
The popularity of sex tourism is an industry that continues to grow over the years as more and more men travel abroad looking for cheap sex. Its continued growth, specifically in Tijuana, Mexico can be attributed to its convenient location next to the US-Mexico border. Another factor is the legalization of sex work in Tijuana’s “La Zona Roja” (Red-light district), where men can easily pay for sex without facing any of the consequences as they would in the United States. Consequently, with the high demand of sex workers needed for the use of sex tourism in prime locations such as La Zona Roja, there is a higher risk of women and young girls being trafficked and forced to work in this area.
According to (Humphrey, J. 2012) an extensive fluctuation in the use of illicit drugs and enormous use of alcohol users are found around the world. Substance abuse is particularly prevalent among the young worldwide (Humphrey, J. 2012). The processes of worldwide tend to increase the availability of mind-boggling substances (Humphrey, J. 2012). Illicit drug use, like excessive alcohol consumption, is a world-wide phenomenon. It is estimated that the annual worldwide cost on illicit drugs top $321 billion (Humphrey, J. A., & Schmalleger, F.2012).
Foremost among the health risks of prostitution is premature death. In a recent US study of almost 2000 prostitutes followed over a 30-year period, by far the most common causes of death were homicide, suicide, drug- and alcohol-related problems, HIV infection and accidents — in that order. The homicide rate among active female prostitutes was 17 times higher than that of the age-matched general female population (Prostitution laws: health risks and hypocrisy). A legalized system of prostitution often mandates health checks and certification, but only for women and not for male buyers. Health examinations or tests for women but not men make no public sense because monitoring prostituted woman does not protect them from HIV/AIDS or STDs (Farley 323). Pimps do not care whether or not if their prostitutes are healthy or not. The only thing they care about is if their prostitutes are making money for them. They do not want to spend the money for health care when they could use the money for
The usage of drug is unbiased when it comes to race and class. Anyone has an equal chance to get addicted to a drug of their choice. In the today’s society, the drug is viewed as horrible and those who are ‘dependent’ on it are either criminals and/or addicts. There are many researches that were done in the past that criminalized those who use, which bring the term to criminology. Today there are so many drugs that are being used by different people in varies age group and to each drug there is a technique on, how is it use and when is it comes to the usage of drug, it does not discriminate by race nor class. This is what many people tend to forget and with so many pieces published it is very accessible to anyone who is very interested in
The drug problem in America is indeed a problem by the fact that many people have a preset opinion of drugs without actually coming to their own opinion of these substances. Drugs have been part of human culture for thousands of years, and governments want to put regulations on these substances because they think they know what is best for the people. The American Declaration of Independence insists that humans have certain unalienable rights; this should include deciding what and what not to put in your body. People around the world use drugs for different reasons, whether it is for religious practices, therapy, medicine, or personal experiences.
Marijuana, tobacco and alcohol are considered gateway drugs that often lead to other more addictive drug use, such as LSD, crack cocaine or heroin. However, understanding why and how people start using drugs in the first place is difficult and complex. For example, people may take drugs to fit in, to escape reality, relax, avoid boredom, feel grown up, rebel or experimentation.
Certain drugs have become very popular among teens at dance clubs, parties, raves, and other crowded social gatherings. These drugs are known as “club drugs”. The most commonly used substances amongst teens are MDMA (ecstasy, or molly), GHB, and Methamphetamine (meth). The effects of these different drugs vary. Stimulant drugs such as ecstasy and meth affects the hormone in your body, known as serotonin; which controls sleep cycles and the feeling of happiness. Teens often mix ecstasy tablets and alcohol together making the high even more “enjoyable” (Thompson, 2013). According to teens who have used meth, their sense of real-life is altered as a result of the hallucinations they see; which makes it difficult to determine what is actually going on (Tecson, 2011). The use of these stimulants can lead to a surplus in energy which can distort a person’s sense and perception to what is really happening (Thompson, 2013) On the contrary, depressants such as GHB—which is also known as the “date rape” drug, slows things down, providing a feeling of peace and relaxation throughout your body (MDMA, 2014). Though, the effect of the club drug depends strictly on the user. For example, if they are upset or have a sense of fear, it can lead to a bad trip. In this case, the effect of these drugs on teenagers is very powerful. These club drugs have an impact on the behaviour aspects of adolescents including increased hallucinations, risky sexual behaviour, and violent actions
In today’s society, one person can have a handful of kids, claim they cannot find a job, sit at home, get taken care of for free, in the form of a monthly welfare check, rent, food stamps, health insurance and sometimes childcare. This same person can use their welfare check for whatever they want, including: cigarettes, alcohol, and yes even narcotics. Meanwhile a single mother of two will struggle to pay all her bills and feed her children for the reason that she makes ten dollars over the poverty limit. Given that the tax dollars from our paycheck support those on the welfare system, how fair is it that one person is forced to pay for another person’s potential drug habit or abuse of the system? While taking away government benefits
A significant stage of an adolescent’s life is struggling to fit in with what their classmates and friends are doing. Whether this be the latest dance trend or type of sneaker everybody, everybody wants to fit in. Unfortunately, this at times translates into terrible trends… terrible trends like drug abuse. According to Pew Research Center, marijuana is the “most commonly used drug at all grade levels”. With that exact problem in mind, T.A.D.A. was formed. Teens Against Drug Abuse was established in the year 2014 to prevent and act against teenage drug abuse. Drug abuse is a life-threatening habit that, if it does not end a life at any early age, can physically or emotionally cripple a teenager for the rest of their lives.
Randomized drug testing in schools is the easiest and most effective resolution to teen drug use in today’s youth’s society. As a teen, your body and mind are still developing and growing. Using drugs at an early age can lead to behavior issues and can affect thinking process with prolonged use. The reason drugs are unhealthy for development is that they affect the way neurons normally send, receive, and process information. This is important to know because the brain manages your body’s basic functions and helps you respond to everything you experience and shapes your thoughts, emotions, and behavior. (https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/drugs-brain) High school students should be drug tested because it gives students a good reason to say no to drugs, it is important to intervene early, and it increases chances of success in their future.
When it comes to teenage drug abuse, marijuana, cocaine, LSD and other illegal drugs might come to mind. In fact four out of five people, when asked what they believed was the most abused drug among teens, answered: alcohol, heroin, cocaine, meth and caffeine. While all these drugs are of concern, the use of them in teens is declining. Adolescence are becoming more aware of the side effects and consequences of using these drugs. Narcotic pharmaceuticals are a rising issue in teens today. Yet most people seem to be unaware of pain killers as a problem. It could be due to most pain killers only being able to be obtained by doctor. Doctors have to hand out prescriptions in order for a person, whom ever it may be, to obtain the medications. Here is where the issue arises. Any person can inside a hospital screaming in agony and receive pain medication. But what if those people don’t need the medication? What if the symptoms they are portraying aren’t real? Many people take advantage of our health care system. Without realizing the effects it not only has on one, but on the people closest to them also.
“Last year alone, 37,000 people died from drug related overdoses.” Many people do not understand why or how other people become addicted to drugs. Substance abuse is a growing problem that not only affects the person who is abusing alcohol or drugs but also affects the lives of those who are close to the abuser. Substance abuse is the abuse of any substance. A drug is a substance that modifies one or more of the body’s functions when it is consumed. It is often mistakenly assumed that drug abusers lack moral principles or willpower and that they could stop using drugs simply by choosing to change their behavior. In reality, drug addiction is a disease and quitting takes a lot more than just changing your behavior. Drug Abuse is generally