Sarah Cochran

AP English Literature and Composition

Ms. Wilson
May 13th, 2016
Drug Abuse and Misuse Prevention
Thesis: Informing the upcoming generations will lower the amount of drug misuse and abuse in
the United States because if they are informed of the risks, they will be less likely to engage in
these activities.
I.
II.

III.

IV.

V.

The Current Problem: Prevalence and Severity of Drugs

A. Easily Accessed
B. Accepted by Peers and Media
Immediate and Long Term Effects of Substance Abuse
A. Educational
B. Social
C. Personal
Middle School Drug Abuse
A. Drugs Used
B. Commonality of Substance Abuse
C. Extent to Which Drugs Are Used
High School Drug Abuse
A. Drugs Used
B. Commonality of Substance Abuse
C. Extent to Which Drugs Are Used
Conclusion

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Drug Misuse and Abuse Prevention

Throughout the United States, middle schools and high schools alike have a common
epidemic: the abuse of drugs. Drug abuse is not limited to marijuana, cigarettes, or alcohol but
also includes any body altering drug used excessively and without personal prescription.
According to a survey completed by the University of Michigan in 2014, the most used illicit
drug for both middle and high schoolers was marijuana with 15% of 8th graders and 40.9% of
12th graders having reported using the drug. In regards to past-month alcohol use, 9% of 8th
graders drank while 37.4% of 12th graders indulged in some form of alcohol. Only 1.4% of 8th
graders and 6.7% of high school seniors smoke daily but with the rise of new e-cigarettes,
students are engaging in more frequent smoking without understanding the consequences of their
actions. Out of the 17.1% of 12th graders who use e-cigarettes, 14.2% believe that it is harmful.
Although these percentages are high, this report had percentages that were dramatically reduced

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from the past 2009 survey with the same respective drugs and age groups ("DrugFacts: High
School and Youth Trends"). This decrease can be credited to the rising advertisements, school
lesson plans, and overall available information on the risks of drug abuse and misuse. Informing
the upcoming generations will lower the amount of drug misuse and abuse in the United States
because if they are informed of the risks, they will be less likely to engage in these activities.
One of the main causes of this rampant abuse of drugs throughout the adolescents of the
United States is the ability of drugs to be easily accessed. According to a survey reported in
2009, 49.9% of youths aged 12 to 17 reported that it would be fairly easy or very easy for
them to obtain marijuana and 14% of these same students reported they had been approached to
purchase drugs in the past month (Also of Interest). The constant, drug-filled environment and
the numerous opportunity for substance abuse allows a gateway for students to misuse drugs. As
students gain easier access to these drugs and are not also provided with the risks associated with
these substances, they are more likely to be tempted to purchase or use narcotics. Students are
provided these drugs most commonly by parents, guardians, other family members, and friends.
In the aforementioned survey, 55.9 percent of students reported that the last time they used an
alcoholic substance was at someone elses residence. The accessible use of someone elses home
allows students to have more opportunities to engage in abusive situations and allows them to
separate the immediate actions with the future consequences. The majority of misused drugs are
obtained without any form of payment. Among these students, 20.6% were given alcohol by
adult family members; similarly, 55.3% of persons aged 12 or older who used pain relievers
non-medically...used from a friend or relative for free (Also of Interest). The lack of costs for
alcohol, prescription drugs, and other substances further encourages teens to practice substance

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abuse. When no financial, situational, or immediate consequences are presented to teenagers,
they become more likely to engage in substance abuse.
The widely accepted drug culture presented in media and the subsequent acceptance by
the upcoming generation also provides more opportunities for misuse and the romanticizing of
abuse. Through music, television and movies, students are subjected to large amounts of
unhealthy behaviors which frequently include drug abuse, whether illicit or pharmaceutical.
Although a small percentage of media does include the uglier, more real aspects of drug misuse,
a vast majority romanticize and ignore the facts of drug abuse. Students who are influenced by
these various forms of media are not presented with the inevitable consequences of this
dangerous habit which can lead them into a hazardous lifestyle. In a study done in 2013 by the
Washington University School of Medicine, researchers collected tweets from a popular
marijuana-focused Twitter account that reaches over 1,000,000 followers with 72.89% of these
followers are aged 19 years old or younger. After being placed through an analytic system it was
found that out of the 2,285 tweets sent from May 1st to December 31st, 82.06% of tweets were
positive about marijuana, 17.64% were neutral, and 0.31% were negative about
marijuana(Cavazos-Rehg). The positive tweets were viewed by the teenagers as jokes, a way to
relax, and an accepted routine (NDIA). The findings of this study supports that young people
respond to what environment and stimulus they are placed under, are more likely to develop
substance abuse patterns during this time, and the necessity of drug prevention education in the
lives of the upcoming generation.
With the prevalence of drugs use in the youth of America, individuals started studying the
types of effects these impediments have on a students ability to gain education. Researchers
from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found evidence that early drug

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and alcohol use is associated with lower levels of educational attainment (Dryden). The earlier
that students start experimenting and using drugs, the less likely they are to finish or continue
education. According to another study presented by the University of Pittsburgh's Center for
Education and Drug Abuse Research, high risk youth for substance abuse demonstrated lower
executive cognitive functioning than low risk youth. The former youths have more trouble with
memories, speech, reading comprehension, and the ability to retain new information than the
latter group ("Development of CEDAR Constructs Since 2/15/06 to Test the CEDAR Theory and
to Develop SUD Liability Index). The drug that most impedes in the education process for the
upcoming generation is marijuana. Out of all the marijuana users, 78% were aged 12-20
("Marijuana Use & Educational Outcomes"). This high percentage shows the prevalence and
severity of this drug in schools nationwide. During these teenage years, the brain is still
developing making it vulnerable to substance abuse. It is proven that the use of this illicit drug
can drop an IQ of a student by 8 points ("Marijuana Use & Educational Outcomes"). As the
students intelligence drops along with the newly slowed cognitive functions, their academic
performance also plummets. The educational effects are not just limited to marijuana; all drugs
that are misused and abused lead to a decrease in the proper functioning of the human brain. The
overall effects include, but are not limited to, lower grades, lower exam scores, students are less
likely to enroll in college and are less like to graduation from high school or college.
Socially, drug abuse can have an immediate impact on the environment around them. As
the progression of substance abuse worsens in young adolescents the more social impact it has
on the people and society around them. Students who use drugs often disengage from school
and community activities, depriving their peers and communities of the positive contributions
they might otherwise have made("Consequences of Youth Substance Abuse"). As these young

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people drop out of school and community activities, the society around them loses the
opportunities and contributions that the person could have made before their drug addiction. Also
as the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention explains about social effects,
The social and economic costs related to youth substance abuse are high. They
result from the financial losses and distress suffered by alcohol- and drug-related
crime victims, increased burdens for the support of adolescents and young adults
who are not able to become self-supporting, and greater demands for medical and
other treatment services for these youth ("Consequences of Youth Substance
Abuse").
On a more personal level, families of substance abusers have constant stresses placed on them
often resulting in family crises which include depriving financial and emotional resources
("Consequences of Youth Substance Abuse"). These times of difficulty can result in family
disfunction.
Although drug abuse is harmful to education and the social environment, the most
detrimental effect is the personal changes that happen to a person, both physically and mentally.
These effects can be short and long-term, depending on the severity of the drug problem.
Marijuana, the most common drug misused by middle schoolers and high schoolers alike, is
proven to hinder proper brain function during and long after the use of this illicit drug. In regards
to alcohol, this substance can have short term effects such as slurring of speech, inability to
properly walk, drowsiness, emotional changes, sleep deprivation, nausea, vomiting, loss of
bladder and bowel control, blackouts, temporary loss of consciousness, and the lowering of body

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temperature (Patterson). Long term effects of alcohol include weight gain, high blood pressure,
death of brain cells, cirrhosis, pancreatitis, coma, and death. The mental symptoms of drug
abuse are equally as devastating as the physical symptoms. The mental pleasure felt by drugs are
what causes overdoses and suicides. Also, mental changes such as behaving in ways that do not
coincide with previous character, deliberate offensiveness, self-harm, lying, cheating, stealing, or
placing addiction above family and friends; however as the addiction worsens, abusers may
withdraw from family and friends. Also, among drug abusers mental illnesses such as anxiety
and depression are common due to the constant experiences of highs and lows by the drug
user. All of these changed mental states are due to addiction. The physical and mental changes in
students who abuse drugs coincide frequently with each other. Using drugs have the power to
change the physical makeup of a students brain which can have an immediate and dramatic
effect on a persons personality. These aforementioned mental and physical symptoms are serious
health risks and place the young, developing body of a teenager under large amounts of stress
and can lead to serious medical conditions later in life.
The start of most drug abusers begins during the early stages of puberty in middle school.
Socially, students are trying to fit into a fast changing and diverse environment full of new
people. Academically, students are looking to achieve due to the newfound competitive nature to
be the most intelligent. Personally, these teenagers are experiencing new hormonal changes,
personality changes, and physical changes. All of these rapid and fresh changes confuse and
conflict middle school students, causing them to be prone to drug abuse as an escape. According
to the 2014 Monitoring the Future survey produced by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the
most common drugs used by students grades 6th through 8th are, as listed in order: marijuana
(11.7%), alcohol (9%), inhalants (5.3%), synthetic marijuana (3.3%), cough medicine (2%),

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tranquilizers (1.7%), Adderall (1.3%), hallucinogens (1.3%), OxyContin (1%), Vicodin (1%),
Cocaine (1%), ecstasy (0.9%), and Ritalin (0.9%) (Monitoring the Future). The list of these
drugs include all forms of possible abused substances such as prescription, illicit, and
recreational drugs. Young adolescents use these drugs because of peer pressure, the
psychological need to fit in with other students, and to ease the stresses of their confusing
environment. Substance abuse in middle school is not as prevalent as it is in high schools;
however, it is proven that students who start substance abuse at an early age will more likely
continue this lifestyle longer and have serious health complications during their lifetime.
The majority of teen drug abuse is found within high schools throughout the United
States. In the 2014 Monitoring the Future Study completed by the University of Michigan, the
top drugs used by 12th graders are as follows: alcohol (37.4%), marijuana (35.1%), Adderall
(6.8%), synthetic marijuana (5.8%), Vicodin (4.8%), tranquilizers (4.7%), sedatives (4.3%),
cough medicine (4.1%), hallucinogens (4%), ecstasy (3.6%), OxyContin (3.3%), cocaine (2.6%),
inhalants (1.9%), salvia (1.8%), and Ritalin (1.8%) (Monitoring the Future). These abused
substances cover recreational, pharmaceutical, and illicit drugs. The increased amount of
pressure due to the close proximity of college and the general real-world is a main reason as to
why high school students abuse drugs. The stress and mental exertion of getting decent grades in
order to attend a well-known college while competing with students all over the world for the
academic entrance into universities and colleges causes many students to take solace in
depressant drugs or Adderall to enhance their focus. Students in grades 9-12 also are frequent
abusers of steroids due to the increased pressure and necessary skill placed on athletes in order
for them to compete on the collegiate level. Other reasons for substance abuse are identical to
the social, academic, and personal reasons listed for middle school drug misuse: trying to fit into

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a fast changing and diverse environment full of new people, looking to achieve due to the
newfound competitive nature to be the most intelligent, and experiencing continued hormonal
changes, personality changes, and physical changes. Students who exhibit drug abusive
behaviors in high school are proven to either not finish high school, not attend college, or set up
a desirable future for themselves.
As organizations such as the Lead and Seed Program through Insight Human Resources
in Rockingham County, North Carolina, a drug prevention program for middle school and high
school students, are established in previous years, the amount of teenage drug abuse has
decreased nationwide. By comparing the Monitoring the Future Study completed in 2009 and
then re-evaluated in 2012, the entirety of drug abuse for students between 6th and 12th grade has
reduced. By implementing more programs for middle and high schools that are dedicated to
providing drug abuse information, facts, prevention, and help, the decrease of drug misuse can
continue until it is nonexistent. Many benefits can result nationwide as drug abuse lessens. These
benefits include, but are not constrained to, an increase in people reaching higher educational
levels, more competent and focused workers, and the lowering of human and societal costs.
According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy,
Successful substance-abuse prevention leads to reductions in traffic fatalities,
violence, unwanted pregnancy, child abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS,
injuries, cancer, heart disease, and lost productivity Evidence from controlled studies,
national cross-site evaluations, and CSAP grantee evaluations demonstrates that
prevention programs work. Good junior high school interventions affect knowledge and
attitudes about drugs, use of cigarettes and marijuana, and persist into the twelfth grade.
(2. Preventing Drug Abuse)

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The positive results of this program prove the effective nature of early prevention programs. In
comparison, a Cornell University study in New York that included six thousand students
discovered that the odds of smoking, using marijuana, and drinking were 40% lower among the
students who reported participating in drug abuse prevention programs in their middle school
and high school education than their peers who did not have a substance-abuse prevention
program (2. Preventing Drug Abuse). If the upcoming generations of students in the United
States are informed of the risks and effects of drug abuse and misuse, they will be less likely to
engage in such activities and thus, the amount of drug abuse is decreased nationwide.

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Dryden, Jim. "Early Substance Use Linked to Lower Educational Achievement." The Source.
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<http://www.jmir.org/2014/6/e157/>.

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