WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT: DRUGS OR HEALTH?

Abstract

Drug awareness education began nearly one hundred and fifteen years ago; despite this, substance abuse cases are still on the rise. Approximately one in four adolescents in the U.S. has been reported to consume non-prescribed medications. Although current educational programs such as D.A.R.E. or the Truth Initiative are widely used across different schools and throughout media, many students still remain either underinformed or misinformed about the effects of substance abuse. The objective of this research is to analyze the successes and failures of different drug awareness programs in place, the factors that contribute to adolescent substance abuse, and the physiological effects of commonly used drugs. Data shows that the most popular specific illicit drugs are in the stimulant (e-cigarettes) and opioid/narcotic (heroin or morphine) classes of drugs. As a result, a pamphlet targeted toward adolescents was created containing important information to educate youth about the harms of drug use highlighting statistics, definitions, and examples of how drugs may impact an individual’s health. This format serves as a possible and more transparent approach to drug awareness targeted towards adolescents. Rather than having programs that focus on ‘just saying no’, proper education on the physiological effects of substances will be more effective.