NCJ Number
154902
Journal
Pediatrics Volume: 93 Issue: 8 Dated: (June 1994) Pages: 1039-1084
Editor(s)
B Stanton
Date Published
1994
Length
46 pages
Annotation
Based on presentations at a conference sponsored by the Center for Minority Health Research at the University of Maryland (November 18-20, 1993), eight articles provide a framework for understanding the genesis of African-American adolescent drug trafficking and offer guidance on the development of intervention efforts.
Abstract
One paper presents an overview of the epidemiology and consequences of drug trafficking among youths and describes factors associated with drug trafficking. Another paper provides a more in-depth account of these factors based on a cross- sectional survey conducted among several hundred preadolescents and early adolescents. An historical-cultural perspective of the drug trafficking culture is provided in a third paper. The fourth paper provides youth the opportunity to discuss from their perspectives the challenges that may lead to drug trafficking. Other papers discuss possible intervention strategies. One identifies an opportunity for intervention through increased parental monitoring at early ages. Another reaffirms the importance of parental monitoring and examines similarities and differences between the antecedents of drug trafficking and violent behavior among adolescent males. A paper examines the potential role of the mass media in changing the social climate of the drug trade. The concluding paper delineates the role that legal, economic, and social systems have played in encouraging the employment by "drug kingpins" of young children in drug trafficking; it recommends changes in both the legal system and in broader societal programs. References accompany each paper.