The article “Drug use Drops for America’s Youth, Rises in the Over 50 Crowd” was written by Mike Levine on 4th September 2013. The main reason for writing this article was probably to express concern about what is taking place in American society.
According to Levine’s article, drug abuse is still rampant in America. However, the practice is shifting from the youths to individuals of age 50 and above. Reportedly, the rate of drug abuse among children of age between 12 and 17 has reduced by 2.1 percent from the previous decade. In his article, he also expounds on how illicit drug abuse has increased among adults between the age between 50 and 64 since 2002 (Levine 1).
Levine argues that Marijuana is the most abused drug by both children and adults in America. This is also reported by SAMHSA one of the departments that deal with health and human services. Additionally, Levine also expounds on how the intellectual abilities of adolescents are hampered by the use of marijuana. As reported by Levine, marijuana correlates with the decline of the intellectual quotient (Levine 1). Although the rates of drug use have remained constant among young adults of the ages between 18 and 25, it is evident that the use of marijuana has slightly increased.
Levine’s article also explains why the American government releases data concerning the usage of drugs. As stated in the article, the data was released so as to pave the way for the programs sponsored by the government. Additionally, Levine argues through the article that the month of recovery was introduced so as to remind the Americans about their responsibility towards combating drug abuse (Levine 1).
In his article, Levine also provides the story of Daniel LaPointe. According to him, LaPointe indulged in the abuse of marijuana a month after writing an essay entitled “Why I Won’t Try Drugs”. In his description of LaPointe, Levine also expounds on how the use of marijuana led LaPointe to abuse heroin. In the article, Levine also explains how individuals associated with long-term abuse of drugs try to commit suicide (Levine 1).
The story of Jenna Bertino in Levine’s article also states the rate of drug abuse in America. In line with Levine’s article, Bertino started abusing marijuana because of depression. Her father had committed suicide when she was 13 years old. Additionally, the article illustrates Bertino’s aggravation to the usage of pills, as a result of abuse of marijuana. Moreover, the author provides detailed information on how the use of marijuana led Bertino to indulge in uncouth acts such as robbing and lying. In the article, Levine also presents detailed information on the effect of abusing drugs. In agreement with the article, the use of drugs made Bertino get into prison (Levine 2).
Levine’s article is very interesting because it provides Americans with detailed information on the rate of marijuana abuse and its effect on American society. The article also creates awareness in children and adults. Moreover, the article expresses the importance of rehabilitation programs. According to Levine, Bertino’s entry into the rehabilitation program helped her to learn about herself and how to cope with the world’s challenges.
Among the articles written on the abuse of drugs, the article “Drug use Drops for America’s Youth, Rises in the Over 50 Crowd” expounds on the status of drug abuse in America. It also provides detailed information about the age of people who abuse drugs most.
Works Cited
Levine, Mike. Drug use Drops for America’s Youth, Rises in the Over 50 Crowd. 2013. Web.