Drug Abuse Is Still A Growing Concern, This Senator Calls For Action

Millions of Americans suffer from substance abuse, such as underage drinking, alcohol dependency and non-medical use of prescription drugs, as well as the use of illegal drugs.

A research letter released by the Journal of the American Medical Association earlier this year showed an alarming spike in teen overdose deaths between 2020 and 2021. Even though rates were stable and low for decades, it seems that young people, ages 14-18 have been most affected by this new trend, with overdose death rates doubling between 2019 and 2020 and rising another 20% in the first half of 2021.

A recent study by Monitoring the Future (MTF), an annual drug use survey of eighth, 10th and 12th-grade students conducted by scientists at Ann Arbor's University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research showed similar trends in marijuana and hallucinogens. Over the past year, their use reported by young adults 19 to 30 years old increased significantly in 2021 compared to five and ten years ago, reaching historic highs in this age group since 1988. However, alcohol remains the most used substance among adults while cannabis use has never resulted any related deaths.

More Education On The Dangers Of Drug (Ab)use, Please!

Now, with Drug Awareness Month being observed throughout November, Senator Dr. Saphire Longmore is urging fellow lawmakers to make room for more public education on the dangers of drug use directed toward youngsters, reported JIS Daily Newsletter.

“[Approximately] 80 percent of our children claim to engage in alcohol use or are exposed to it before the age of 14, with average onset being between 12 and 13 years old,” Longmore said in the Senate on Thursday on a Motion for adjournment in recognition of Drug Awareness Month. “Marijuana use is recorded at about 13 percent prevalence amongst our youth, and I think that has gone up since the decriminalization that happened in 2015.”

Prior Research & Mixed Results

Prior research has shown mixed results on the issue of marijuana legalization rates and cannabis consumption among youth.

While a study published in the May online issue of Addiction says that legalization of recreational cannabis increases youth consumption, a report from the Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education and Regulation (CPEAR) - titled Cannabis Legalization Is Not Associated with Increases in Youth Use - is proving the opposite.

Interestingly, Michigan State University researchers found that marijuana legalization does not lead to more young people trying weed, which can’t be said for adult users, as the number of those deciding to try marijuana for the first time has increased in states where recreational marijuana is legal. The study, which built upon a previous paper that used data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) for the period 1993-2017 found that marijuana legalization laws are not associated with increased use amongst high school students. Similar results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association last year.

Either way, Longmore is a strong supporter of campaigns that warn about the dangers of drug abuse.

“This is a growing concern, and we encourage the awareness to be maintained, not only in this month,” she added. “I encourage us all, as best as we can, to engage in these activities and to maintain this effort of keeping Jamaica as drug-free as possible.”

Photo: Courtesy of Colin Davis on Unsplash