Alcohol is the drug most frequently abused by American teens. Other popular drugs include marijuana and prescription drugs.  Self-report surveys indicate that just under half of all high school seniors have tried drugs. Surveys of arrestees indicate that a significant proportion of teenagers are drug users and many are also high school dropouts. The number of drug users may be even higher than surveys suggest, since surveys of teen abusers may be missing the most delinquent youth. The national survey conducted by PRIDE, the Monitoring the Future survey, and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health report that drug and alcohol use are much lower today than 5 and 10 years ago.               
There are many explanations for why youth take drugs, include growing up in disorganized areas where there is a high degree of hopelessness, poverty, and despair; peer pressure; parental substance abuse; emotional problems; and suffering from general problem behavior syndrome. Also, a variety of youth use drugs. Some are occasional users who might sell to friends. Others are seriously involved in both drug abuse and delinquency; many of these juveniles are gang members. There are also “losers” who filter in and out of the juvenile justice system. A small percentage of teenage users remain involved with drugs into adulthood. It is not certain whether drug abuse causes delinquency. Some experts believe there is a common cause for both delinquency and drug abuse—perhaps alienation and rage.

• Prepare to engage in discussion on the following questions:
  • What is the best explanation for the drug use and delinquency link?  Why?
  • What drug prevention strategy might work best with juveniles?

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