Drug Problems In America
By Jarrod Milton
Druid Hills High School
12th Grade
Atlanta, GA
Druid Hills High School
12th Grade
Atlanta, GA
Jack Daniels, Patron and Marijuana. These are all drugs that many high school students use in their off time even though they are under aged. This tragedy has been circulating around the nation and, according to Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD); about 20.1 million students between the ages of 12 and 17 are users. Many use these drugs frequently and without precaution but many of these students do not know the harmful after effects of using these drugs.
Underage drug use's popularity has skyrocketed, but it also has its consequences. One of the biggest is drunk driving. According to SADD, “in 2008, an estimated 12.4% of persons ages 12 or older drove under the influence of alcohol at least once during the past year” and that’s more than just taking a few sips. According to SADD, “in 2008, 11,773 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one third (32%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.” These alcoholic encounters are taking lives as early as two years old but teens still are no letting up on downing booze. Another troubling drug is marijuana, which has gained popularity over the past 20 years. According to the National Survey on Drug Use & Health, “the current marijuana use rate among youth (ages 12-17) is 6.7%.” Marijuana also can cause memory loss, losses of intelligence, and can hinder one’s judgment in regular situations. This drug also has an association with “prodromal symptoms of psychosis in adolescence,” according to the British Journal of Psychiatry. Though many have called for marijuana’s legalization, its many side effects have luckily been kept as an illegal drug.
With the many things Americans are allowed to do, the use of marijuana and alcohol should not be one. These items have endangered the health of many teenagers and young adults around the world and I, for one, do not want to see lives of many young children go down the drain.
Underage drug use's popularity has skyrocketed, but it also has its consequences. One of the biggest is drunk driving. According to SADD, “in 2008, an estimated 12.4% of persons ages 12 or older drove under the influence of alcohol at least once during the past year” and that’s more than just taking a few sips. According to SADD, “in 2008, 11,773 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one third (32%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.” These alcoholic encounters are taking lives as early as two years old but teens still are no letting up on downing booze. Another troubling drug is marijuana, which has gained popularity over the past 20 years. According to the National Survey on Drug Use & Health, “the current marijuana use rate among youth (ages 12-17) is 6.7%.” Marijuana also can cause memory loss, losses of intelligence, and can hinder one’s judgment in regular situations. This drug also has an association with “prodromal symptoms of psychosis in adolescence,” according to the British Journal of Psychiatry. Though many have called for marijuana’s legalization, its many side effects have luckily been kept as an illegal drug.
With the many things Americans are allowed to do, the use of marijuana and alcohol should not be one. These items have endangered the health of many teenagers and young adults around the world and I, for one, do not want to see lives of many young children go down the drain.