Drug Use and Delinquency

Essay # 56677

Child, Youth Issues > Teen, Adult Issues
Criminology > Juvenile Justice
Psychology > Alcohol and Drugs

This paper looks at how drug use can contribute to delinquency.

2,033 words () | 3 sources | MLA | 2005 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the reason that youth turn toward drug use, citing peer pressure or family problems. The paper also looks at the different types of drugs that teens are commonly abusing. As a remedy to this problem, the writer offers what he considers the best solution for getting help for teens suspected of abusing drugs. The writer explains that the adolescent years are what he considers to be the most important years of one's life.

From the Paper:

"These are the times where we are more likely to act on impulse, at times with little or no regard of the consequences for our actions. Most people will admit that they have fallen to peer pressure at least once if not more in there life time. How is it that the youth of today are falling victim of peer pressure to use drugs? This question being simple in form however is very complex. We are in time of youthful rebellion, which can be traced back to the 1960s where teens who were anti Vietnam War were part of a culture which theme was (Henry W, Karen H 2003) "tune in, turn on and drop out" often through marijuana and LSD. (Henry W, Karen H 2003) "By the 1970s 40 percent of teens ages 16-18 had tried marijuana." There was a turnaround in the 1980s for the better with the (Henry W, Karen H 2003) "just say no to drugs" campaign however; in 2000 the numbers began to soar. (Henry W, Karen H 2003) "20 percent of youth in the 8th grade had tried marijuana and 49 percent in the 12th had admitted to trying marijuana." Even with all of the educational programs that are available to our youth of today it's not enough. Sometimes we as adults forget what is was like to be a teen and fall victim to peer pressure as I stated earlier theses are the years that are most important in ones life, that is because this is the point where teens are going to explore to find themselves so to speak therefore, leaving them very vulnerable to fall to the pressure of one peers."