Jose Marquez-Diaz
An issue in the world that feels like its only been addressed a handful of times and very little has been done to prevent it is teen drug abuse which has been affecting teens all around the world for decades for my article this month I looked into teen drug abuse but specifically teen drug abuse in Rochester and how it affects teens lives. One obvious and pretty big issue with teens abusing drugs is that drugs are a very dangerous substances that many people use to make themselves feel good while either not being aware of the terrible effects on the body or just not caring about the effects. After extensively researching this topic for multiple hours and class periods I could not find any statistics on this topic when it came to rochester and multiple people helped me including my teacher eventually a classmate of mine found should but it seems that even though it is a very serious topic and that it surely affects teens in rochester no one cares about the research on it and only offers rehabilitation which of course helps but the fact that no one in rochester is reporting on the fact and providing the research is a major part of the problem because if no one is reporting on it no light is being brought to it. After having multiple people help me research this topic the one thing my classmate found was the 2021 to 2022 Rochester City School District Youth Risk Behavior Survey Report which states “27% of students reported they have used marijuana. 18% of students reported they used marijuana in the past month. 38% of students who used marijuana in the past month reported they used edibles.” (Rochester City School District Youth Risk Behavior Survey Report, 2021-2022, p.10). Unfortunately this was only marijuana use they also did research on other drugs which are unnamed stating “12% of students reported they have taken prescription medicines not prescribed by their doctor or took them differently than their doctor’s directions (including pain, sedative, and/or stimulants). 2% of students reported they have used over-the-counter drugs to get high. 8% of students reported that during the past year, they were offered, sold, or given any drugs or prescription medicines, on school property or on the way to/from school.” (Rochester City School District Youth Risk Behavior Survey Report, 2021-2022, p.11). This behavior survey report is only on the RCSD and not Rochester as a whole and i hope that one day that changes and that we can get research on Rochester and no just the RCSD but for the time being this the best thing we currently have there was also a few articles talking about the deaths of teens in rochester due to drug overdoses. The big problem here is supposed to be teen drug abuse in Rochester but after spending so many hours researching this topic with my teacher and many of my classmates a problem that seems to be almost as bad as teen drug abuse in Rochester is the fact the no one is talking about it or reporting on it and it almost feels like it getting swept up under the rug which is unfortunate teens in Rochester who are struggling and suffering from drug abuse have many places they can for rehabilitation one of those many places being Kids Thrive 585 whose mission is “To provide Peer-Led, Peer Driven services focused on three key areas: Education, Employment, & Social Support Services. Rochester/Monroe Recovery Network is committed to improving the delivery of services to those with substance use disorders, mental health, and criminal justice issues; to reduce the stigma associated with them.” (Kids Thrive 585). And if you wanted to get into contact with them you can call them at (585) 723-7736 and I suggest that anyone who might need help or knows anyone who might need help contact them at the number listed above. SOURCES: https://www.monroecounty.gov/files/health/health-action/RCSD%20YRBS%202021-22.pdf https://kidsthrive585.org/teens/addiction-resources/
1 Comment
Snyder
4/28/2023 07:06:14 am
Thank you for sharing on this important topic. I agree that it is sad that you weren't able to find many statistics on what is happening with teens and drug abuse. I would be interested to know why teens are using drugs and how they are gaining access to them.
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