Drug abuse among teens wasn’t much of an issue a decade ago, but with the emergence of technology, it has become a more common occurrence. According to the National Center for Drug Abuse, one out of eight teens have abused illicit substances within the last year. The negative impact of these drugs on teenagers presents a timely question. How is it that teens today can have such easy access to drugs? Below are some of the common ways teenagers get drugs fast.
At Home
Kids today don’t have to leave the comfort of their homes to get drugs. Instead, they just hit the medicine cabinet where parents or guardians keep the leftover medication from previous or present treatment.
For example, a kid could find leftover painkillers or sleeping pills and use them from their parent’s medicine cabinet since they’re prescribed by a doctor. The same goes for other drugs like cough syrup that teens mix with a soda to form syrup or lean as it is more popularly known.
Parents should ensure medication cabinets are closed and/or ensure that addictive drugs are far from teens’ reach within the house. Plus, they should pay attention to know if drugs are running out faster than usual within the household.
In School
The common thinking is that schools are safe places without drugs or other illegal materials. However, institutions of learning are one of the common places drugs are sold, although in secrecy. This alone gives teens such easy access to drugs.
Drug abuse in schools doesn’t occur among public schools alone. In fact, a survey showed that private institutions are the most targeted by drug peddlers since kids from well-off families could buy drugs at a better price. Peer pressure in schools today leads many teens to use drugs while at school.
Online
The internet brings many opportunities, but it also carries its fair share of evil. As it turns out, popular social media channels are used to peddle hard and soft drugs to teens in America. Some of these online pages masquerade as legitimate online pharmacies but sell non-prescribed drugs to underage children.
On the other hand, it’s no secret that teens get most of their drugs from the dark web. This is a hidden section of the internet that is only accessible through special software, and more drugs are sold here than in some physical locations in America.
In 2013, the government shut down online drug distribution operations through Silk Road, which sold over $1 billion in drugs online. Unfortunately, other similar schemes are running today without much resistance.
At the Store
Teens today have become so clever that they can design fake IDs to look almost like the original thing. They use this to shop for drugs in stores, especially alcohol since it’s only sold to those of age.
Statistics show that 12.5% of high school graduates have a fake ID that they use to purchase over-the-counter drugs. Since these drugs are non-prescribed, they are free to use them however they please. Fortunately, new detection software enables stores to identify fake identification from real ones.
Conclusion
Drug abuse among teens has become rampant, and the figures are increasingly worrying. Since teens have such easy access to drugs the best way is to educate teens on the harmful effects of drugs and try and keep them away from bad influences. If your teen has a drug addiction, feel free to seek professional help to aid in their recovery.
