NCJ Number
158694
Journal
Juvenile and Family Court Journal Volume: 46 Issue: 4 Dated: (Fall 1995) Pages: 3-5
Date Published
1995
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article provides an overview of the scope of juvenile drug use, its effects, and barriers to countering this trend.
Abstract
The most recent Monitoring the Future Survey, a nationwide survey of adolescent substance abuse conducted at regular intervals, found that teen alcohol and other drug abuse is once again increasing. The survey, which now includes eighth and tenth graders, reports that use of marijuana has doubled and that the use of cocaine and psychedelics by 13- and 14-year-olds has increased significantly between 1991 and 1994. By eighth grade, 70 percent of adolescents have consumed alcohol, and by the time adolescents reach their senior year in high school, 88 percent have consumed alcohol. The report also reveals the highest rate of LSD use among high school seniors since 1985, and teachers and counselors across the country are reporting that children in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades have easy access to LSD on middle-school campuses. Tobacco's critical role as the "gateway drug" has also recently been exposed. According to a 1995 study published by the National Center for Health Statistics, children and adolescents who smoke are significantly more likely to abuse alcohol and other drugs. Consequences of this trend include dysfunctional psychosocial development, poor school performance, violent and delinquent behavior, and increased risk for HIV infection. Treatment resources for this population either do not exist or are shrinking, particularly for disadvantaged minority youth. One of the greatest barriers to effective identification, assessment, and treatment of adolescent substance abusers is that the culture in which they live is radically different from the youth culture that most treatment and legal professionals experienced in their youth.