Abstract
Substance abuse among youths in the Des Moines community is one of the main problems that stakeholders are currently grappling with. A number of youths in this community are addicted to drugs and alcohol. Most of these addicts do not have stable sources of income, forcing them to resort to criminal activities such as burglary and robbery. The report shows that problem affects everyone within the community and as such, it needs a united approach to find a lasting solution.
Introduction
Substance abuse is one of the main behavioral problems among American youth today. According to Hoffmann, Erickson, and Spence (2013), abuse of drugs among the youth is a problem that the American society has tried to deal with at family, community, state, and federal level for centuries. However, it is still persisting even in modern society. Youths, especially those in high schools, often find themselves in situations where they get addicted to hard drugs, making it impossible for them to lead a normal life free from drugs. Drug abuse affects the socio-economic life of the youths. They are forced to use the little resources they can get to purchase drugs. Sometimes they are forced to steal or even rob in order to get money from drugs. The behavior not only affects the family members but also the community at large. Having drug addicts within the community is a compromise to the security of everyone. These are people who lack self-control when they develop the urge to take drugs. They can do anything to get money for drugs when they become addicted. According to Lee, Kim, and Kim (2015), the Oklahoma bombing, and the series of criminal activities that preceded the attack were largely attributed to the drug abuse among the youth. It was a clear demonstration of how dangerous this problem can be if measures are not taken in time to address it. In this paper, the researcher will evaluate the level of substance abuse in the Des Moines Community in Iowa and recommend advocacy plans that can be used to manage it before it gets out of control.
Origin and Cause of the Problem
Summary of the Issue
Substance abuse among the United States has been a concern for a long time and the stakeholders have been working on means and ways of overcoming this problem in the most effective way possible. The federal government, state government in Iowa, and the local government have come up with ways of curbing substance abuse among the youth. Statistics show that the effort to fight substance abuse has yielded mixed results. There are areas where there have been significant reductions in substance abuse while in other areas it becoming worse. The figure below shows the trend that has been witnessed according to the data collected by the state.
The above statistics show a trend in substance abuse among the youth in Iowa from 2002 to 2014. In the year 2002, alcohol was by far the most abused substance among the youth. It was estimated that about 23% of the Iowa youth were taking alcohol. However, the government came up with measures to discourage alcohol use among youths. The manufacturers and the retailers were subjected to rules and regulations that would make it impossible for the youths to have access to alcohol. The strategy has proven to be effective because there has been a consistent drop in alcohol abuse in the country. Although the statistics show that it is the second-most abused drug among the youth in this community, it is only about 10% of the youths who are still using alcohol, down from 23%. In 2002, Tobacco was also one of the most abused substances in the country. As shown in the statistics above, about 14% of the youths in Iowa were using tobacco in 2002. The government and the community-initiated policies that were meant to discourage the use of tobacco among youths. Schools started teaching about the dangers of tobacco use, and retailers were prohibited from selling tobacco to under-age children.
The statistics above show that indeed these initiatives have worked in significantly reducing the number of youths using tobacco. Other drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, among others were ranked third most abused substances in this state. About 8% of the youths in this community were using this drug. The government has been fighting the use of these drugs using law enforcement agencies and the legal structures, especially the juvenile justice system to discourage youths from the abuse. However, the statistics above show that this has been the most elusive problem that this community is currently dealing with. In 2002, about 8% of the Iowan youths were using this drug. The number rose sharply to 14% in 2005 before dripping to 12% in 2008, and 10% in 2010 and 2013. However, in 2014, it rose to 12%, which means that it is possible that more of the Iowan youths are being introduced into substance abuse. Rx, OTC, and Meth are the other drugs significantly used in this state. The market has a number of drugs based on the ease of access, demand, and price. The following figure shows the most common drugs used among the Iowan youths.
The statistics shown in the figure above clearly indicate that marijuana is by far the most commonly abused hard drug in this community. This is attributed to the fact that it is easily accessible to the youths and it is relatively less expensive compared to the others. About 66% of the Iowa youths who are addicted to substance abuse use this drug on a regular basis. Alcohol has since been overtaken by marijuana. About 22% of the youths in this community who are substance abusers take alcohol on a regular basis. Although there are laws and regulations that prohibit the sale of alcohol to the youths, some of them use dubious means to access this substance. Most of them rely on their elder peers who have identification cards to help them in purchasing alcohol. Others have easy access to alcohol at home because parents, guardians, or elder siblings are regular users of this substance. A few others often go to the extent of stealing or robbing distributors to get alcohol. Meth and synthetics are the other commonly abused drugs.
Reasons Why the Issue Is a Problem
The stakeholders in this community must work as a unit to combat this problem. These youngsters are the future of this community and this country. However, the drug is taking tall on them at a rate that is alarming. Substance abuse is a problem because it affects the entire community and the country at large. Youths have limited control of themselves once they are high on drugs. They cannot account for their activities once they take these substances, a fact that makes them very unpredictable. One of the problems directly caused by substance abuse among youths is accidents. According to Elliott and Fagan (2017), once one has taken alcohol or any of the hard drugs, the vision becomes impaired. The judgment also becomes impaired. When such a person is allowed to use the road, then it is easy for him or her to cause a road accident. The following data shows Iowa drug-related traffic fatalities among the youths.
As shown below, marijuana abuse is associated with most of the traffic fatalities in the country followed by meth. These are strong drugs that impair once a sense of judgment. Youths who are addicted to drugs pose a serious threat to the community. The events following the Oklahoma bombing demonstrated to the American society that when youths are allowed to use hard drugs, then they can become very dangerous to society. In fact, Rosner (2012) says that these youths even embraced a thought that they could use force to ensure that five states within the United States become independent. What they were able to achieve were death and destruction. Indeed it was an indication that if this problem is not addressed in time, it can reach catastrophic levels. In Des Moines, cases of armed robberies committed by the youths are common. Most of them are always abusers of hard drugs.
Ethical and Legal Factors Impacting Drug Abuse
It is important to look at the ethical and legal factors that impact drug abuse among American youth. According to Wu, Morgan, and Farkas (2014), it is the ethical responsibility of parents and teachers to offer children a sense of direction from a very tender age. It starts with the behavior of these two people. At a very tender age, children look up to their parents and teachers, wanting to be like them when they grow up. When parents and teachers fail in their ethical duty to offer the right image to these children, then they are likely to become youths who abuse drugs. The legal environment has also impacted drug abuse among youths. Limiting parents and teachers in terms of how to punish students when misbehave has created an environment where these children feel that they can get away with anything. They feel that they cannot be held responsible by anyone and that their actions may not have painful consequences in their lives. It makes it easy for them to get into the abuse of a substance.
How Biological, Social, and Cultural Factors Influence the Youth of Today
It is important to appreciate that the problem of drug abuse among the youth of today is caused by a number of factors. The following are the biological, social, and cultural factors that are directly linked to substance abuse among the youth.
Biological factors
According to Rosner (2012), the physiological changes among adolescents can sometimes be traumatizing if they do not get responsible adults who can guide them throughout the process. The hormonal changes in the body of these adolescents also make them generally rebellious towards the authorities. These changes among the girls are often more troubling, especially when they start experiencing their menses. The growth of muscles, the deepening of the voice, and such other related characteristics make these youth boys believe that they have the capacity to decide on their own what is good or bad. They develop the feeling that they can also indulge in activities such as taking of alcohol and sometimes even drug abuse. It is easy to manage these biological forces if both teachers and parents are responsible enough to help these adolescents to understand these changes and appreciate that they are perfectly normal.
Social factors
The social environmental factors have the most significant impact on the youth’s tendency to abuse drugs. According to Thomas and Price (2016), peer pressure remains one of the most common social environmental forces that often lead youths to abuse drugs. The desire to belong and be seen as socially fit may drive youth into using the substance. When close friends are using drugs or alcohol, there is always the tag that one is weak or childish if he or she refuses to take the drug. The desire to fight off such negative tags causes one to engage in drugs. Rosner (2012) laments that American children and youth currently have some form of freedom that did not exist in the past. The new laws and regulations enacted to protect children from abuse both at home and in school have created a shield that makes it almost impossible to take corrective measures when these children make mistakes. Teachers have very limited options for punishing rude students when they misbehave. Some of the teachers are afraid of being punished by the authorities that they prefer just watching these children make mistake and ignore instead of taking appropriate punitive actions. As a result, we are having children who are hardly aware that their actions may have consequences in their lives.
Cultural factors
Cultural forces within our society are sometimes to blame for the problem of substance abuse that has persisted for a very long time in this community. The modern American family has embraced a completely new culture where both parents are breadwinners limiting the time they have for their children. Single parenting is also becoming a common culture in society. These parents hardly have time for their children, which means that they cannot help them overcome the psycho-physical changes that they experience. These children are forced to rely on mass and social media to know how to overcome these issues. American movies are also promoting a culture that is different from what an ideal society should be. These movies are spreading a culture of violence and hatred towards a section of the society. Drug abuse in some of these movies is seen as cool practices because the movie stars are using them. This is becoming a major problem because as these youths try to identify with these superstars, they find that one of the ways of imitating them is to use alcohol and drugs.
Prevention Strategies Based on Ethical and Legal Factors
As a society keens on protecting the current and future generations, we have a responsibility to come up with appropriate methods and strategies that can be used to fight substance abuse among the youths in the Des Moines community. We must work as a unit to ensure that the culture that popularizes the use of hard drugs and alcohol is eliminated. We have to understand how to eliminate substance abuse in both an ethical and legal manner. I believe that this can at three levels as discussed below.
Family Level
According to Thomas and Price (2016), it is wrong and immoral for parents to completely ignore their parental responsibilities hoping that teachers will be responsible for defining the behavior of their children. Most children look upon their parents as their first role models. Children whose parents are doctors would often say that they want to become doctors when they become adults. It means that is a parent is a drug addict then a child considers drug abuse as a cool habit that one should engage in, just like their parents do. Parents must understand that they are the first image of the ideal society before the eyes of their children. At the family level, parents and guardians must commit their time to their children on a regular basis. These parents must understand what affects their children at school, at home, and in the community. These issues must be addressed in an effective manner. Parents should also develop a habit of regularly visiting teachers to understand if there are issues at school that may need their attention. At the adolescent stage, both parents should be very close to their children to help them overcome this stage with ease. They should be ready to explain to them the psycho-physical changes they experience and how to deal with them effectively. Parents should always avoid cases where they are seen drunk before their children because it may affect these children. It is also important for parents to avoid domestic chaos that may have an emotional impact on these youths because when stressed-up they may resort to drugs and alcohol as a way of escaping the realities at home.
School Level
Schools have a role to play in preventing substance abuse among youth. According to Rosner (2012), the curriculum should also include the issue of substance abuse and its dangers. Students who are approaching adolescence and those who are within that stage should have various lessons that would empower them in terms of understanding substance abuse and its dangers. Teachers should also take time with individual students, especially those who are known to be using or are likely to use drugs and alcohol and counsel them about the dangers of substance abuse and the need to lead a responsible life. Teachers must always be ethical when counseling these youths. The methods used must not only be ethical but also legal. For instance, they cannot use corporal punishment against students known to abuse drugs. When teachers identify cases of drug abuse in one or some of their students, they should reach out to the parents and explain the problem to them so that they can come up with a united front when addressing the problem. Schools within the community should coordinate closely to make the fight against drug use a communal struggle.
Community Level
The community has a very important role to play in the fight against drug abuse within Des Moines. Community leaders and opinion shapers have the greatest role to play in the fight against drugs. The celebrities who are very popular among the youth must be ready to lead the fight against drug use among the youths. They should avoid being seen as drunk within the communities. They should be part of awareness campaigns about the dangers of drug use and the need to be responsible. Parents within the community must also come together in the fight against drug use. They can work with law enforcement agencies such as the local sheriffs to flush out drug peddlers. They must be responsible for their fight and should avoid any action that is seen as illegal. That is why they should work as informers to the law enforcement to ensure that these criminal elements are arrested and eliminated from the community. The local government should also work closely with other stakeholders to ensure that youths are helped to overcome addiction.
Resources Needed
To succeed in the fight against substance abuse, the stakeholders will need a number of resources. The most important resource is human resource. Psychologists and medical experts will be needed in the rehabilitation centers to help the youths who are trying to overcome their addiction. At these rehabilitation centers, it will be necessary to have medicine and other equipment needed to treat the addicts. Preventive measures will also be critical. The money will be needed to run commercials and organize other awareness campaigns within the community in order to empower the youths and make them appreciate the need to avoid substance abuse.
Diversity and Multicultural Considerations
Drug abuse is a problem that affects all American youths irrespective of their racial background. However, a study by Elliott and Fagan (2017) shows that African American youths are more likely to be arrested because of drug-related problems. The figure below shows a comparison between Whites and Blacks juvenile arrests.
It is clear that this is a universal problem that affects every member of the society, but African American youths are more likely to behave in a way that would make them be arrested than other races in the country. It is worth noting that the statistics above do not prove that African American youths have the biggest problem when it comes to drug abuse. There is always some form of bias against African Americans that make them more likely to be arrested by the police. The mistrust between African American males and the police is partly to blame for the high incidences of the arrest of Black youths.
Recommended Leadership and Advocacy Plan
As a community leader, I believe it is my responsibility to come up with advocacy plans that will help youths affected by the problem of substance abuse and develop strategies that can prevent more youths from falling into the same problem. I intend to work very closely with the affected youths who are in the juvenile correction centers within the community and rehabilitation centers to help them overcome their problem. When working with these youths, the transformational leadership style will be very critical for me. I intend to use this leadership style to motivate the youths to focus on a future where they are fully in control of their lives instead of relying on drugs and other people to define their future. I will be coordinating with key agencies and government bureaus to help the addicts overcome this problem and to be able to lead drug and alcohol-free lives. I will also work with these agencies to promote awareness about the dangers of substance abuse to prevent other youths from falling into this trap.
References
Elliott, D., & Fagan, A. (2017). The Prevention of Crime. London, UK: Blackwell Publishers.
Hoffmann, J. P., Erickson, L. D., & Spence, K. R. (2013). Modeling the association between academic achievement and delinquency: An application of interactional theory. Criminology, 51(3), 629-660.
Lee, S., Kim, C. J., & Kim, D. H. (2015). A meta-analysis of the effect of school-based anti-bullying programs. Journal of Child Health Care, 19(2), 136-153.
Rosner, R. (2012). Clinical handbook of adolescent addiction. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons.
Thomas, Y. F., & Price, L. (2016). Drug use trajectories among minority youth. New York, NY: Springer.
Wang, M. T., & Sheikh‐Khalil, S. (2014). Does parental involvement matter for student achievement and mental health in high school? Child Development, 85(2), 610-625.
Wu, Q., Morgan, P. L., & Farkas, G. (2014). Does Minority status increase the effect of disability status on elementary schoolchildren’s academic achievement? Remedial and Special Education, 35(6), 366-377.