The Effects of Drugs on the Young
“Everyday, four thousand 12-17 year olds use drugs for the first time” (Drug-Free communities). For me, these teens are really young and their brains, specifically prefrontal cortex, are not fully developed until the age of 25. This means that illegal drugs are going to have a huge impact on them. Therefore, illegal drugs can affect future generations because it can be addicting when users start young and it often passes through families that are broken down causing intergenerational trauma.
To begin, In the communities, illegal drugs have caused a lot of harm especially to young teens who take these drugs for the first time. In an interview with an Oakland mother who has been living in Oakland for 13 years she expressed how she has seen young teens affected by these illegal drugs and has seen teens drop out because of drugs . She also stated, “In the communities the that has most affected them is taking the drugs at a really young age”(Rodriguez).This is significant because it comes from a person who has lived in oakland for a time and has seen the changes in the community. This also signifies that through living in the community she was able to see young teens take drugs which then ended their school careers because they dropped out and start abusing the drugs.
Furthermore, In the article, “3 kind of teen drug dealers” written by Jimmy Hoover, he also states that teens start doing drugs at a young age. This is a trustworthy source because it is written in 2013 and shows a statics that proves how the illegal drugs are affecting the young teens. The article stated “of this Class, 62% said that they have sold drugs only one or two times in the last year”( Hoover). This is important to know because of it demonstrates that over 50% of the classes, the kids have deal with drugs and this causes a higher chance too keep selling and then consuming in the end.
Finally, when teens start using when they are young it leads to addition. The factor that drugs become addicting is because of the dopamine that the drug releases in the body which was shared by a high school biology teacher who said, “If taken too much the body takes down the receptor that take in the dopamin and when the cocaine effects are over your body will need to have the same high dopamin to not feel bad and this is where the side effects come from like withdraw and the desire to take the drug again”(Driscoll). This clarifies where the abuse drug abuse comes from because of the Dopamine causing your body to take a whole lot Which then causes your body shut down or take down your receptors do tu too much dopamine. Some may say that they are just trying it, and aren’t addicted, or that you can’t get addicted the first time but you are young and might try again.It is like sugar in kids, they say thier not addicted but need it and can’t tell if your are addicted or not.
In addition to the illegal drugs, the drugs can also cause intergenerational trauma and can really hurt the families. In an interview with an Oakland teacher he talked about the huge impact that drugs have on the poor families, He exclaimed “The illegal drugs harm the families more that helping them because they might get caught and sent to jail or steal the money for their drugs” (Curtis). This addresses that the illegal drugs have not only affected the users but the families of the users by stealing their money or stealing other people’s properties to get the cash to then buy the drugs
Finally, in A government website That shows statistics from 2013 shows the increase of
E- There were just over 2.8 million new users of illicit drugs in 2013, or about 7,800 new users per day. Over half (54.1 percent) were under 18 years of age. This is Explains the average teens or young adults who take drug. The fact that over 50% of 18 year olds are taking illegal drugs who are in the process of making their future choices. The drugs are not only harming them but their future if chooses to keep using the drug which is likely. Although the drugs can have a positive impact when young teens are stressed and can have a disease it evidence shows that the drugs still have a really negative effect and can still be addicting. In conclusion, Knowing how addicting the illegal drugs can be , especially to the young teen who their brains are not fully developed and don’t have the will to make their own decisions.
Dear, Cecilia
Thank you for writing me a comment and agreeing with me in the fact that young teens taking drugs can have a negative effect. Also, thank you for sharing some information about your perspective of the effects of the drugs. Additionally, I would like to learn more about your peers who have been negatively affected by the drugs.
Sincerely, Juan
Hi Juan,
I appreciate your interest in exploring the effects of drugs on teens. I believe it is important to be educated, but especially educated on something that may influence severe health and social relational issues. Like you said using one-time can lead to addiction and even lead the teen to steal from family. In my experience I have had peers that have had this happen to them. It would be great if every teen realized that drugs have long-term effects that could negatively impact their academic future.
Dear Juan:
I am very interested about your post, “The Effects of Drugs on the Young,” because many teenagers are going through this problem due to friends or other people that pressures them to do it. Also teens having problems at home can cause a ton of stress on them and from what I’ve heard drugs relieves that stress. One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is “these teens are really young and their brains, specifically prefrontal cortex, are not fully developed until the age of 25. This means that illegal drugs are going to have a huge impact on them.” I think this is dangerous because if these drugs destroy certain parts of the brain than in the future many teenagers will grow up with less opportunities than others. Another sentence that caught my attention was: “… to see young teens take drugs which then ended their school careers because they dropped out and start abusing the drugs.” This stood out for me because these little mistakes affects them in a huge way with school and family causing them to drop out and disappoint their parents in a serious way. Your post reminds me of something that happened to me. One time I was with my friends who were doing drugs(smoking) and for me growing up around it everyday it wasn’t hard to resist it because I’ve always had someone older than me that kept me in line. So I feel many young people do drugs because there isn’t anyone around to stop them or help them so they just do it whenever they want. Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next, because many young teens are doing drugs and you are doing the best thing on letting people know what’s going on nowadays.