As we have talked about, arguments are often shared to benefit a group of people rather than just to prove that we are “right” or “win” a debate. When we engage in persuasive exercises with pe

Thesis Statement

Drug abuse among the youths poses a great challenge that has been persistent in every generation. It is imperative to involve all the parties including the learning institutions, guardians, the government and the general society, for this issue to be settled effectively. The youths are an important component of the society which expects them to be the leaders and the professionals in the foreseeable future. It is the high time the youths should understand that drug abuse will just ruin their good lives as well as those of the society member.

Tell the class about a community issue that you have some knowledge of and would like to try and improve. Who are the people in your community most affected by this issue (key stakeholders)? Who in the community is in the best position to bring about a change? What challenges have kept them from solving this problem already?

Drug abuse in my community has become very rampant. The youths to be specific are abusing drugs greatly. According to statistics, 1 out of 3 youths in my community abuses drugs especially alcohol. The youths in my community should be informed of the dangers of drug abuse. There is reliable evidence showing that drug abuse affects the political and socio-economic life of an individual. According to the American Nurses Association, about that 30.4% of children in the grades, 8, 10, and 12 use illegal drugs. More than 80% of students in grade 12 believe that marijuana is easy to access and that is why it is the commonly used drug among the youths (Des Jarlais, 2015).

The parents, the schools and the government should join hands to ensure that drug use among the youths is mitigated. The parents should monitor the behavior of their children as well as their company (Des Jarlais, 2015). Many youths use drugs as a result of peer influence and family issues. The teachers and school administrators need to educate the students on the effects of drug use which are damages their mental and physical processes. Additionally, schools should create recreational activities and programs where learners can spend their free time. Teachers need to precisely educate the learners the impacts of drug abuse. The government should come up with legal measures to curve drug use among the adolescents. The government can, for instance, impose heavy fines and punishments for those found selling drugs to the adolescents.

However, there are various challenges that have hindered the government, the schools, parents and the community as a whole in controlling drug use among the youths. First, there are family challenges such as divorce which has led to inefficient monitoring of drug use among the youths. Secondly, there is peer pressure which teachers cannot manage as it inside and outside the school setting. Third, there is the easy accessibility of drugs. Fourth, there is poor implementation of drug abuse laws. Additionally, the roles models are always found using drugs hence making it hard to convince the youths that drug abuse is bad (Sagy, 2014).

Question

The use of drugs has been rampant among the youths, who do you think has the major role in addressing this issue effectively?

References

Des Jarlais, D. (2015). Drug use data, drug use theories and drug use policies in the United States: a combinatorial lack of connections. Addiction, 110(5), pp.739-740.

Sagy, S. (2014). Preventing Drug Abuse among Children and Adolescents: Where Does the Salutogenic Approach Direct Us?. Health, 06(07), pp.541-548.