Substance Abuse Among Young People

For many parents, one of the major sources of concern they have for the welfare of their children is whether they will be drawn into taking drugs.  The statistics for illegal drug use are increasing each year, so this is certainly a real concern.  Even those drugs that are frequently seen as being less harmful such as Cannabis / Marijuana are now being found to cause previously unforeseen mental health issues such as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and can cause greater harm to lung tissue than cigarettes.
A new report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation from the University of Bedfordshire in the UK has highlighted the impact of heavy Cannabis / Marijuana use on vulnerable young people. The charity’s research suggests that existing social problems, such as poor educational achievement, homelessness and unemployment are made worse by heavy Cannabis / Marijuana use for those in vulnerable groups whilst others, particularly those in higher or further education, appear to have suffered much less of a detrimental effect. One hundred interviews were conducted with 16 to 25 year-olds who had all been using Cannabis / Marijuana daily over the past six months, most of whom were smoking 'skunk', a more potent variety of Cannabis / Marijuana containing a higher level of the psychologically active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).  Although the quantities of THC in the most powerful forms of Cannabis / Marijuana have increased over the past few years, skunk is nevertheless still listed as a class C drug in the UK. At first the interviewees only dwelt on the perceived positive effects of taking the drug including relaxation, social life, and the feeling of being 'stoned'. It was apparent that the young people, particularly those with less structured lives, were less readily able to associate their drug use with their own social problems such as unemployment or lack of educational qualifications without being prompted to probe more deeply into various aspects of their life to consider cause and effect.  The report also highlighted a correlation between the frequency of Cannabis / Marijuana use and the number of social problems encountered  - ie those young people using most heavily tended to have the greatest number of social problems. The author of the report, Dr Margaret Melrose pointed out that young people may not be aware of the extent to which Cannabis / Marijuana use might intensify their existing social problems.  Added to this, she raised the danger of professionals assuming that the effects are relatively harmless based solely on young people’s assessment of the impact of Cannabis / Marijuana use in their lives as it is evident that they are not necessarily able to provide an accurate assessment of the impact of their drug use. Another recent survey of over 20,000 UK school children showed that 9% of 13 year olds and over a quarter (27%) of 15 year olds had used an illegal drug at some point in their lives.  So there is clearly a need for more assertive intervention at an early age. In the absence of a drug testing programme at school or college, anxious parents, guardians or caregivers who have concerns about teenagers or young people using drugs are able to conduct a drug test in the privacy of the home.  These home drug test kits are used daily by professionals in the healthcare industry and one test can provide easy to read results in minutes for a variety of different drugs.  This includes the most common drugs, such as Cannabis / Marijuana, Cocaine, Amphetamines, Benzodiazepines, Opiates, Methadone and Methamphetamines (including ecstasy). Testing gets all of the cards on the table and opens up communication - showing your child / teenager that you are looking out for them and offering them a valid excuse when faced by peer pressure to take drugs. I personally went through my late teens working in a forensics lab and my regular employee drug testing helped me avoid the numerous offers of drugs I received from friends of friends and when out socialising - all without losing any credibility, etc.  Prevention is always better than cure, so it is certainly worth considering. In conclusion, whilst many parents may be nervous about bringing the whole issue out into the open and even asking for a testing regime to be put in place in the home, you have to consider the consequences of failing to act.  With over a quarter of 15 year olds in the UK having already tried illegal drugs, that action has come too late in many cases.