marijuana's effect on todays youth
...ast few years. One of these factors may be that public attention toward the issue of drug use has decreased in recent years. During the 1980's Nancy Reagan's message of "Just Say No" was presented loud and clear. The deaths of several highly regarded celebrities caught the attention of the public and reinforced the idea that "drugs kill." The nation attacked the problem of drug abuse head on and by 1989 sixty percent of adults saw drug abuse as the country's number one problem. In 1990, there was a significant decline in the use of drugs, which convinced America that the "war" on drugs had been won. There were more important issues that needed to be dealt with, such as, Desert Storm, recession, and AIDS. As a result, the issue concerning drug abuse was put on the back burner (Going A1+). The publicity focused on stopping drug abuse began to fade. "We lost focus," said Wayne Roques, a prevention specialist for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. "This is a situation that takes a tremendous amount of energy"(qtd. in Kaplanand Whitmire A1+). "Drug glorification, drug normalization -- anything that portrayed drug use as acceptable and benign" began to spring up (Going A1+). The mass media: television and movies are instilling the message that smoking marijuana is ok. In the 1980's, drugs almost vanished from the entertainment business or were associated with the villians. Today, the media is sending the message that drugs are "no big deal." For example, in an episode of the popular sitcom "Roseanne", Roseanne and Dan find a stash of pot, light it up, and laugh themselves silly for the remainder of the show ("Just" 50+). This image that drugs don't have ill effects on the users simply implies that smoking marijuana has benign results. Along with television, music groups, such as Cypress Hill, began incorporating the use of marijuana in their songs and music videos. The band released anthems with titles like "Hits From the Bong and Legalize It." Because of the "pro-pot" movement led by popular rock and rap musicians who publicly discuss their marijuana us and allude to in the lyrics of their songs, young people like Scott Altman believe, "[The music] may promote marijuana but it brings everyone closer together to have a good time" ("Just" 50+). Musicians serve as role models to many adolescents and the message they are sending to their fans isn't healthy. To blame musicians entirely for the drug problem among teenagers would be unfair, but they do have some impact on their fans' decisions. Failed attempts made by school officials to bring awareness to children might be another reason for the increase. In 1987, the federal Drug Free Schools Act began giving hundreds of millions of dollars to schools to implement prevention programs. Many schools accepted the money and used it on anti-drug programs. However, it appears that too many wasted it on pointless assemblies, large anti-drug bureaucracies, curricula of uncertain value, or other school programs (Kaplan and Whitmire A1+). Although these programs preached the anti-drug message, it was not presented in an effective manner. Many young users felt anti-drug advertisements and drug-prevention classes were ineffective (Wren A20). Experts believe if the money had been used for it's intended purpose, teen drug use would be at least twenty percent lower. Escaping emotional trauma and other problems of everyday life may be why some teens turn to marijuana. They view the drug as a temporary escape. Some experts believe the drug serves as a buffer, because users appear to be more willing to tolerate problems that they would normally avoid (Dawsey 73+). They're also more likely to make stupid mistakes that could embarrass or even hurt them (Foster 20-21). Many marijuana users said they weren't influenced by anything other than their own curiosity. This notion is fairly common among adolescents. Because societyhas begun to accept this problem as a way of life, teens aren't concerned about the effects anymore. Experts say...