CHAPTER 10:

DRUG USE AND

DELINQUENCY
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, students should:
1. Understand the drug problem among American youth
today and over time
2. Know the main explanations for why youths take drugs
3. Recognize the different behavior patterns of drug-
involved youths
4. Understand the relationship between drug use and
delinquency
5. Be familiar with the major drug-control strategies
MARIJUANA AND HASHISH

 Marijuana
 Produced from the leaves of cannabis
sativa
 Hashish
 Concentrated form of cannabis made of
unadulterated resin from the female plant
 Main ingredient in both is
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
 A mild hallucinogen
 Most commonly used drug by teenagers
 Large amounts causes distor tions that produce
hallucinator y effects
 Not physically addictive, but long ter m effects debatable
COCAINE, CRACK & HEROIN

 Cocaine
 Alkaloid derivative of the coca plant
 Most powerful natural stimulant that
produces euphoria, restlessness, and
excitement
 It can be sniffed, snorted, or injected
 Immediate feeling or rush is short lived

 Crack
 Processed street cocaine
 Gained popularity in the mid-1980s
 Relatively inexpensive
 Can provide a powerful high and is highly
addictive
 Heroin
 Most dangerous commonly abused drug
ALCOHOL

 Drug of choice for most teenagers

 64% of high school seniors reported abusing it in the past year
 70% say they have tried it
 By the 12th grade, 51% reported having been drunk
 Negatively impacts society
 Factor in nearly half of all murders, suicides, and accidental deaths
 1.4 million drivers are arrested each year for D.U.I.
 840,000 more are arrested for alcohol-related offenses
 The economic cost is staggering: $185 billion lost lost each year
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NpCp75_oE4
 Impact on Health
 Long term use is linked to depression and physical ailments,
ranging from heart disease to cirrhosis of the liver
 Perceived Benefits
 Reduces tension, enhances pleasure, improves social skills, and
some claim it transforms experiences for the better
QUESTION

1. The main active ingredient in

marijuana is:
a. erythorbic acid
b. sodium benzoate
c. tetrahydrocannabinol
d. phosphoric acid
QUESTION

2. Which of the following is the most

powerful natural stimulant?
a. PCP
b. LSD
c. Cocaine
d. Amphetamine
QUESTION

3. The most widely used drug amongst

teenagers is:
a. video games
b. heroin
c. marijuana
d. crack
OTHER DRUGS

 Anesthetic Drugs
 Central nervous system depressants
 Most widely abused is phencyclidine (PCP), aka angel dust

 Inhalants
 Some youths inhale vapors that cause a euphoric feeling that is
followed by disorientation, slurred speech, and drowsiness

 Sedatives and barbiturates

 Depress the central nervous system, creating a sleeplike condition

 Tranquillizers
 Reduce anxiety and promote relaxation
 Overuse can lead to addiction, and withdrawal can be
painful and hazardous
OTHER DRUGS

 Hallucinogens
 Provide vivid distortions of the senses without
greatly disturbing the viewers consciousness
 Examples of common hallucinogens:
 Mescaline
 LSD
 Stimulants
 Synthetic drugs that increase blood pressure,
breathing rate, bodily activity, and elevate mood
 Methedrine is the most widely used dangerous
amphetamine
 aka “meth”, “speed”, “cr ystal meth”
 Economic cost of meth use in the U.S. exceeds
$23 billion a year
OTHER DRUGS

 Steroids
 Anabolic steroids are used to gain muscle bulk and
strength
 Black market sales approach $1 billion annually
 Cause health problems such as liver ailments, tumors, kidney
problems, sexual dysfunctions, hypertension and depression
 Designer Drugs
 Some designer drugs are synthetically created in labs for the
purpose of temporarily circumventing existing drug laws (ex:
bathsalts)
 Ecstasy: Acts simultaneously as a stimulant and hallucinogen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS8XY4GMnJk&feature=fvwrel

 Cigarettes
 40% high school seniors in America have smoked cigarettes in
their lifetime
 T here has been a consistent decline in recent year s
FIGURE 10.1 TRENDS IN ANNUAL
PREVALENCE OF ILLICIT DRUG USE
13-year-old Died of Dr ug Overdose –
Current Example
On February 9, 2010, 13-year-old Alexander
Aiken died of a drug overdose. Alex
evidently took a lethal dose of Oxycodone
that a 14-year-old girl gave him after stealing
the pills from her grandmother's purse. The
14-year-old girl was later faced with adult
charges.
Do you think kids today are more or less likely
to abuse prescription drugs? Why?
What is the relationship between abusing
prescription drugs and abusing the traditional
legal drugs?
DRUG USE TODAY

 Monitoring the Future Sur vey:

Annual survey carried out by the Institute
for Social Research at the U. of Michigan
Drug use among American adolescents
declined since its peak in 1996 and 1997
Significant drop in alcohol use by the
youngest kids
Decline in cigarette smoking and
smokeless tobacco use
WHAT DO SURVEY’S TELL US?

High school senior, Lillian Rosen,

talks to the Director of the National
Institute on Drug Abuse, Dr. Nora
Volkow, about the latest findings from
the most recent annual survey of teen
drug abuse - the Monitoring the Future
survey. (2009)
http://youtu.be/8ji6hVWmma0
DRUG USE TODAY

 Pride (Parents Research Institute

from Drug Education) Sur vey:
 Found that 2009-2010 school year experienced small to
moderate reductions in drug activities
 Substantial decreases over the last 10 years
 National Sur vey on Drug Use and
Health:
 Drug and alcohol use has stabilized or declined
 “Heavy drinking” reported by 7% of youth 12 and over
(17 million people)
 2% of youth aged 12 to 17 were heavy drinkers and
8% engaged in binge drinking
 Marijuana use is currently more common among male
youths than female youths
table 10.1 annual dr ug use, 2000 –2001
ver sus 2009–2010, g r ades 6–12
ARE SURVEY RESULTS
ACCURATE?
 Data must be interpreted with
caution
 Heavy users not expected to fully cooperate
 Drug-abusing students are more likely to be absent
from school during testing periods
 Drug abusers are more likely to be forgetful
 Most drug-dependent portion of the adolescent
population is omitted from the sample
 Accuracy of repor ting may be
affected by social and personal
traits:
 Girls and kids from single-parent homes are less
likely to admit taking drugs
QUESTION

4. Recent survey results indicate that

drug use among adolescents is on the
decline from peak levels in the 1990s.
a. True
b. False
WHY DO YOUTHS TAKE
DRUGS?
 Social Disorganization
 Ties drug abuse to poverty, social disorganization,
and hopelessness
 Drug use by minorities tied to racial prejudice, low
self-esteem, poor socioeconomic status, and stress
of living in a harsh, urban environment
 Poverty linked to high level of mistrust and defiance
 Empirical data on the relationship between class
and crime is inconclusive

 National Youth Sur vey found little,

if any , association between drug
use and social class
WHY DO YOUTHS TAKE
DRUGS?
 Peer Pressure
 Adolescent drug abuse is highly correlated to the
behavior of best friends, especially when parental
supervision is weak
 Youth’s association with friends who are
substance abusers increases the probability of
drug use
 Relationship is reciprocal
 Peer networks may be the most
significant influence
on long term substance
abuse
WHY DO YOUTHS TAKE
DRUGS?
 Family Factors
 Drug users often have a poor family life
 Majority have an unhappy childhood
characterized by harsh punishment and parental
neglect
 May involve racial and gender differences:
 Females and European Americans who suffered
abuse as children were more likely to have
alcohol and drug arrests as adults
 Abuse less likely to affect drug use in males and
African Americans
 May also result from observation of parental
drug use
QUESTION

5. According to the National Youth

Survey, there is little if any
association between drug use and
social class.

True
False
QUESTION

6. According to the text, the

association between drug use, race,
and poverty has been linked to the:
a. high level of mistrust and defiance found
in lower socioeconomic areas
b. low level of surveillance from law
enforcement
c. increase in single parent households
d. decrease in the length of the school year
QUESTION

7. According to the text, which of the

following may be the most significant
influence on long-term substance
abuse?
a. parents
b. sibling relationships
c. peer networks
d. accessibility
WHY DO YOUTHS TAKE
DRUGS?
 Genetic Factors
Biological children of alcoholics reared
by nonalcoholic adoptive parents are
found to be more more likely to develop
alcohol problems than natural children of
adoptive parents
Identical twins twice as likely as fraternal
twins to have similar drug-usage
Future substance abuse can be predicted
by behavior as early as 6 years of age
WHY DO YOUTHS TAKE
DRUGS?
 Emotional Problems
 Drugs help youth control or express
unconscious needs
 Drug abusers often have an addiction-prone
personality, which indicates that the cause of
substance abuse may be traced to a compulsive
need for mood-altering drugs
 Research of narcotic abusers suggest a
significant percentage suffer from psychotic
disorders
 Half of all drug abusers may also be diagnosed
with antisocial personality disorders
WHY DO YOUTHS TAKE
DRUGS?
 Problem Behavior Syndrome
 Substance abuse just one of many problems
that begin early in life and persist throughout
 Youths who abuse drugs are often maladjusted,
emotionally distressed, and suffer from other
social problems
 Youths who abuse drugs believed to lack
commitment
 Dedicate most of their time to peer activities
(rather than family/school/work/community)
 Do poorly in school
 Experience high drop out rates
WHY DO YOUTHS TAKE
DRUGS?
 Rational choice
 Youths may choose to use drugs to:
 Get high
 Relax
 Improve their creativity
 Escape reality
 Increase their sexual responsiveness
 Rational choice theory views experimental drug
use with less concern than other theories
 Purports to maintain a realistic perspective on
teenage drug use, as opposed to an overly
reactionar y, negative stance
Medicating Our Children –
Current Example
On February 9, 2010, Carolyn Riley, a
Massachusetts mom, was found guilty of second -
degree murder in the death of her 4 -year-old
daughter Rebecca. Riley was sentenced to life
imprisonment with the possibility of parole for
overmedicating her daughter with powerful drugs
prescribed to treat her daughter ’s attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder.
American children are three times more likely than their
European counterparts to be prescribed psychotropic
medication. Why do you think this is the case?
Why are we relying so heavily on medication when
comes to treating our children?
PATHWAYS TO DRUG ABUSE

 Gateway drugs:
 Substances that lead to use of more serious drugs
 Drinking with an adult present is a significant
precursor of later substance abuse and delinquency
 Serious drug users typically star t with alcohol

 Drug dealing and drug use:

 Adolescents who distribute small amounts of drugs
usually do not commit any serious delinquent acts
 Frequent dealers often have adults who front for
them – sell them drugs for cash
 Frequent dealers are more likely to sell drugs in
parks, schools, or other public places
 Most small-time dealers hold conventional jobs
DRUG DEALING AND
DELINQUENCY
 Most serious drug-involved
youths distribute multiple
substances and commit property
and violent crimes
 Represent only 2% of the teenage population but
commit 40% of robberies/assaults and 60% of all
felony thefts/drug sales
 Few gender or racial differences exist
 Turbulent environment of drug
dealing is more lucrative
when run by flexible
organizations, rather than
rigidly-ruled gangs
PERSISTENT OFFENDERS
 About 2/3 of substance abusing
youths continue to use drugs into
adulthood
 1/2 desist from other criminal activities
 Persistent Offenders:
 Often come from poor families
 Family members often include other criminals
 Typically do poorly in school
 Started using drugs and committing other delinquent
acts at an early age
 Use multiple types of drugs and commit crimes
frequently
 Have few opportunities in late adolescence to participate
in legitimate and rewarding adult activities
QUESTION

8. A _____________________ is a
substance that leads to the use of
more serious drugs.
a. illicit entry
b. gateway drug
c. precipitating factor
d. precursor drug
DRUG USE AND
DELINQUENCY
 Association between drug use
and delinquency has been
definitively established and can
take a number of forms:
 Crime may be an instrument of the drug trade
 Users may also commit crimes to pay for their
habits
 Users may be more willing to take risks, as
inhibitions are lowered by substance abuse
DRUG USE AND
DELINQUENCY
 The National Institute of Justices
Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM)
tracked trends in drug use among
arrestees in urban areas
 Most recent report (2002) found that almost 60% of juvenile
males and 30% of juvenile females tested positive for
marijuana
 With the exception of methamphetamines, males more likely
than females to test positive for the use of all other drug
 Higher levels of youth problem behaviors
and delinquency are associated with
drug use and distribution
EXPLAINING DRUG USE AND
DELINQUENCY
It is far from certain
whether:
 (a) drug use causes delinquency
 (b) delinquency leads youths to engage in
substance abuse
 (c) both drug abuse and delinquency are
functions of some other factor
EXPLAINING DRUG USE AND
DELINQUENCY
 Institute Of Behavioral Science
found important associations
between substance abuse and
delinquency:
 Alcohol abuse leads to marijuana and other drug
abuse
 Most users started with alcohol, and youths who
abstain from alcohol almost never take other drugs
 Marijuana leads to more dangerous drug use
 95% of youths who use serious drugs reported to
have started on pot
 Youths who commit felonies started off with minor
delinquent acts
DRUG CONTROL STRATEGIES

 Billions of dollars spent annually to

reduce the impor tation of drugs,
deter drug dealers and treat users
 Enforcement - A number of strategies deter drug
use by stopping the flow of drugs into the
country, apprehending dealers, and cracking
down on street-level drug dealers
 Another approach is educating potential users
and convincing them to “say no” to drugs
 A third approach is to treat users so they can
cease buying and using drugs
LAW ENFORCEMENT
EFFORTS
 Source control
 Designed to punish known dealers and users and to
deter those who are thinking of entering the drug trade
 Border Control
 Designed to intercept drug supplies as they enter the
country
 Targets internet drug traffickers from foreign countries
 Targeting Dealers
 Efforts focus on drug trafficking and busting large scale
drug rings
 Police street-level busts of dealers/users can be too
much of a hassle
 Drug sweeps have overcrowded
correctional facilities and drained
police resources
EDUCATION STRATEGIES

 Educational programs aimed at

reducing teenage substance abuse
 Begins in kindergarten and extends through the
12th grade
 According to the National Youth Anti-Drug Media
Campaign, most 7th-12th graders “agree a lot”
that anti-drug ads made them less likely to tr y
or use drugs

 Studies demonstrate the effectiveness

of anti-drug messages targeted at
youth
COMMUNITY STRATEGIES

 Programs reach out to youths at

the highest risk
One of the most successful community-
based programs to prevent substance
abuse and delinquency is provided by the
Boys and Girls Clubs of America:
 SMART targets the pressures to tr y
drugs/alcohol
 Provides education to parents in the community
to assist youth in learning about the dangers of
substance abuse and strategies for resisting the
pressures to use drugs and alcohol
TREATMENT STRATEGIES

 More than 130,000 youths ages 12 to

17 are admitted to treatment facilities
in the U.S.
 52% are referred through the juvenile justice system
 Several approaches are available to
treat users
 Multi-systemic therapy (MST)
 Focuses on direct attention to family, peer, and
psychological problems through problem solving and
communication skills
 Outdoor activities, wilderness training, and after school
community programs
 UCLA’s Comprehensive Residential Education, Arts, and
Substance Abuse Treatment Program
Diagnosing & Treating Children –
Cur rent Example

According to the Pathways to Desistance

study (2011), kids who are involved in drugs
when they’re young are more likely to get in
trouble when they’re older. Kids who are
diagnosed with drug and alcohol abuse are
more likely to get treatment in jail than those
who are not diagnosed.
Based on this finding, what are your
recommendations to our justice system in terms
of finding, diagnosing and treating kids who
abuse drugs?
HARM REDUCTION

 Makes drug treatment facilities readily

available, without fear of punishment, for
anyone who wishes to overcome their habit
and live a drug free life
 Use of health professionals to administer drugs to addicts is part of a
treatment and detoxification program
 Needle Exchange Programs slow the transmission of HIV and educate
user s about how HIV is contracted and spread
 Special Drug courts or pretrial diversion programs compel drug treatment

 Critics war n that this approach

condones/promotes drug use
 Encourages people to either continue/start using drugs without
recognizing the dangers

 Advocates see it as a variable interim

measure in dealing with drug use
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE
HOLD?
 U.S. appears willing to go to great
lengths to keep fighting the drug war
 Prevention, deterrence, and treatment strategies
ignore the core reasons for the majority of drug
problems:
 Poverty, alienation, and family disruption
 Legalization of drugs would
decriminalize drug use to reduce the
association between drug use and
crime
 In the short-term this approach could have
grave consequences
QUESTION

9. The _______________________
technique developed by Scott
Henggeler directs attention to family,
peer, and psychological problems by
focusing on problem solving and
communication skills.
a. multisystemic treatment
b. milieu therapy
c. electric shock
d. behavior modification
QUESTION

10. Which of the following statements

about harm reduction approaches is false?
a. Advocates refer to harm reduction as a
valuable interim measure in dealing with
drug use
b. Harm reduction encapsulates some of the
efforts advanced under the community and
treatment strategies
c. Its critics warn that it condones or promotes
drug use
d. Harm reduction strategies have only been
successful when implemented in residential
facilities
SUMMARY

Know the most frequently abused drugs

Understand the extent of the drug problem
Know the principle explanations for why
some youths take drugs
Recognize typical behavioral patterns of
drug abusing youth
Understand the relationship between drug
use and delinquency
Be familiar with drug control strategies
Argue pros and cons of different strategies