Use of drugs among teenagers in the United States

Interesting trends regarding the use of drugs among teenagers in the United States have begun to be revealed through the work of various researchers. While in some key areas, the use of drugs has declined, in other areas increases have been found to exist in teenagers’ use of drugs. Such areas in which such trends have been detected include use of particular types of drugs, the availability of these to the students, and the demographic that is exposed to the drugs. Such substances as methamphetamine, marijuana, and prescription medication are drugs that have seen either increases or decreases in their general trends, and differences are being studied and detected in the genders’ response to these substances. This essay will define such trends and attempt to give gender-based reasons why these have occurred.

The use of methamphetamine among students has demonstrated a decrease between 2005 and 2006.
Usage by tenth grade students has decreased over the year

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• I. The decline rate among females has been from 3 to 2 percent
• II. The decline rate among males has been from 2.6 percent to 1.7 percent

Usage by twelfth grade students has decreased over the year

• I. The decline rate among females is unsure but is suspected to be roughly the same as for males
• II.      The decline rate among males has been from 9 percent to 7.4 percent

The use of marijuana among students has demonstrated a decrease between the years 2005 and 2006.
Usage by tenth grade students has decreased over the year

• I. The decline rate for lifetime users was 2.3%
• II. The decline rate in the availability of the drug is 1.9%

Usage by twelfth grade students has decreased over the year

• I. It has been the trend for females to use less marijuana than males
• II.The decline rate among females is unsure, but is suspected to be greater than that of males
• III.The decline rate among males has been from 9% to 7.4%

The use of other drugs among students has demonstrated an increase between 2002 and 2006.
Usage of MDMA (ecstasy) by females students has increased over the year

• I.      Use has gone up from 2.7 percent to 4.0 percent.
• II.      This represents an increase of 1.3 percent

Usage of all illicit drugs (apart from marijuana) by males is shown to be above that of females
Usage of all illicit drugs (apart from marijuana) by males is shown to be on the decline.
The use of drugs among males and females is influenced by different gender-based situations.
Men are more likely to have opportunities to use drugs than women
Men are more likely than women to abuse drugs such as marijuana and alcohol
Women are more likely to become addicted to sedatives

• I. Women take more time to report drug dependence
• II. Women often use drugs in response to depression or eating disorders.

Men and women differ in the effect that drug use has on their life choices

• I. Men are less likely to be drop out of high school as a result of drug use.
• II.      Women are more likely to drop out of high school as a result of drug use.
• III.      Drug use in both sexes affects future regarding job qualifications and outcomes.

Works Cited

1. Bustos, Jennifer. “Gender Differences in Drug Use.” St. Martin’s University. Lacey, WA.             http://homepages.stmartin.edu/students/jennifer.bustos/256,1,Gender Differences in Drug        Use
2. Lattimer, W. W., L. J. Floyd, M. Vasquez, M. O’Brien, A, Arzola and N. Rivera. “Substance Use    Among School-based Youths in Puerto Rico: Difference between Gender and Grade            Levels.” Addictive Behavior. Vol. 29. No. 8. 2004. pp.1689-64.
3. Lynch, Wendy J., Megan E. Roth and Marilyn E. Carroll. “Biological Basis of Sex Difference in         Drug Abuse: Pre-Clinical and Clinical Studies.” Psychopharmacology. Vol. 164: 121-  137, 2002.
4. Naylor, Adam., Doug Gardner and Len Zaichowsky. “Drug Use Patterns Among High School           Athletes and Nonathletes – Statistical Data Included.” Adolescence. Winter, 2001.
5. NIDA. “Gender Differences in Drug Abuse Risks and Treatments.” The National Institute on          Drug Abuse. Vol. 15. 4, 2000.           http://www.nida.nih.gov/NIDA_Notes/NNVol15N4/tearoff.html
6. NIDA. “High School and Youth Trends: NIDA Infofacts.” The National Institute on Drug   Abuse.             U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2006.       http://www.nida.nih.gov/pdf/infofacts/HSYouthTrends07.pdf
7. Rassino, Brian E., Sheila C. Ribordy, Kathryn Grant, Joseph R. Ferrari, Blake S. Bowden, and          Jennifer Zeisz. “Gender-Related Processes and Drug Use: Self-Expression with Parents,        Peer Group Selection, and Achievement Motivation.” Adolescence. Spring, 2004.
8. Ringel, J., R. L. Collins and P. L. Ellickson. “High School Drug Use Predicts Job-Related       Outcomes at Age 29.” Addictive Behaviors. Vol. 32. No. 3, 2006. pp. 576-589.

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