What
are the most commonly used drugs?
The most commonly used mood-altering drug
used in the Ireland is caffeine –
contained in tea, coffee, many soft drinks
and colas, some confectionery, included
in many medicines and available in over-the-counter
stimulant preparations.
Apart from medicines in general the
next most commonly used drug is alcohol,
followed by the nicotine in cigarettes
and other tobacco based products.
When it comes to illegal and other socially
unacceptable drugs the list goes from
the one most people have tried down to
the one least tried:
Why
do young people take drugs?
Enjoyment
Despite all the concerns about
illicit drug use and the attendant lifestyle
by young people, it is probably still
the case that the lives of most young
people are centred on school, home and
employment and that most drug use is restricted
to the use of tobacco and alcohol.
Even so, the evidence of drug use within
youth suggests that the experience of
substances is often pleasurable rather
than negative and damaging. So probably
the main reason why young people take
drugs is that they enjoy them.
Environment
Many young people live in communities
which suffer from multiple deprivation,
with high unemployment, low quality housing
and where the surrounding infra-structure
of local services is fractured and poorly
resourced. In such communities drug supply
and use often thrive as an alternative
economy often controlled by powerful criminal
groups. As well as any use that might
be associated with the stress and boredom
of living in such communities, young people
with poor job prospects recognise the
financial advantages and the status achievable
through the business of small scale supply
of drugs.
However, drug use is certainly not restricted
to areas of urban deprivation. As the
press stories of expulsions from private
schools and drug use in rural areas show,
illicit drug use is an aspect of our society
from top to bottom and in all regions.
Curiosity
Most young people are naturally curious
and want to experiment with different
experiences. For some, drugs are a good
conversation point, they are interesting
to talk about and fascinate everyone.
The defence
mechanism
Some young people will use drugs specifically
to ease the trauma and pain of unsatisfactory
relationships and the physical and emotional
abuse arising from unhappy home lives.
Such young people will often come to the
attention of the school. If these problems
can be addressed, then if drugs are involved
they can become less of a problem.
Natural
rebellion
Whether or not part of any particular
subset of youth culture, young people
like to be exclusive, own something that
is personal to themselves and consciously
or unconsciously drug use may act as a
means of defiance to provoke adults into
a reaction.
Promotion
and availability
There is considerable pressure to use
legal substances. Alcohol and pain-relieving
drugs are regularly advertised on television.
The advertising of tobacco products is
now banned on television, but recent research
from Strathclyde University published
by the Cancer Research Campaign concluded
that cigarette advertising does encourage
young people to start smoking and reinforces
the habit among existing smokers.
Despite legislation, children and teenagers
have no problems obtaining alcohol and
tobacco from any number of retail outlets.
Breweries refurbish pubs with young people
in mind, bringing in music, games, more
sophisticated decor and so on while the
general acceptance of these drugs is maintained
through sports sponsorship, promotions
and other marketing strategies. Obviously,
the illicit market is more discreet, but
those determined to experiment appear
to have little trouble obtaining drugs.
Cost
Value for money is often a factor as to
which drug to use. Cannabis sufficient
for a few joints would cost about 5 EURO,
while an LSD trip would also cost around
5 EURO. In terms of how long the effects
last, this compares very favourably with
an average price for a pint of lager of
around 5 EURO. By the same token, ecstasy
of highly variable quality is still selling
for up to 15 EURO a tablet and many drug
users have been voting with their wallet
and turning to cheaper drugs such as LSD
and amphetamine.
Should
drugs be legalised?
The call for the present drug laws to
be changed has come from many quarters.
The reasons for wanting change and for
maintaining them are given here. The debate
itself can be broken down into three key
elements:
-
Civil liberties versus the duty
of the state;
-
The harm caused by drugs and enforcing
prohibition;
-
How would a legalised regime be
managed?
Civil liberties
Freedom
to use
The degree to which the state is justified
in interfering in the private life of
the citizen thereby restricting freedom
of choice is hotly debated. The principle
of personal choice is applied to a wide
range of private activities and why not
drug use?
Duty to
protect
On the other hand, if by using drugs,
an individual is causing significant harm
to themselves or others, the state can
rightfully seek to counteract that harm.
Compulsory wearing of seatbelts is an
example. In legislating against drug use,
the government is seen to be discouraging
a potentially harmful behaviour. Legalising
any drug would be sending out the message
to society that intoxication is a sanctioned
behaviour.
Harm /Health
impact
Increasingly health is cited as the main
reason for prohibition. The latest international
review of cannabis by the World Health
Organisation highlights dangers such as
lung and throat cancer, and increasing
incidence of mental health problems due
to prolonged heavy use in a minority of
users. Consideration should also be given
to whether the harm drugs cause, which
may not be great for many users, warrants
the government’s intervention.
The harm
of current laws
While the drug laws are there to prevent
what the government sees as harmful behaviour,
some see them as harmful in themselves.
They are seen as making users criminals,
creating strong and lucrative black markets
and stigmatising those who need help the
most - the addict.
How would
legalisation be managed?
Crucial to the debate on legalisation
are the issues around the practicalities
of one situation over another. On the
one hand making drugs legal and more available
will result in more use and so increasing
the incidence of harmful side effects
- at great cost to society. On the other
hand, removing a black market and could
raise drug related revenues to the government,
save on police costs and help regulate
the sale and consumption of drugs through
regulated sales (as is done with alcohol).
Other related
issues
One drug
leads to another - escalation theory
Cannabis and other drugs are often regarded
as providing a 'gateway' to more or problematic
drug use. This is known as escalation
theory. Does Cannabis lead to taking other
drugs?
All that can be said is that most people
who use heroin will have previously used
cannabis (though only a small proportion
of those who try cannabis go on to use
heroin). This could be because cannabis
actually does (at least for some people)
lead to heroin use, but there are alternative
explanations. People tend to use cannabis
first simply because they come across
it first.
Therapeutic
use
Another dimension to the reform debate
has been the use of cannabis for therapeutic
purposes. The British Medical Association
has leant its support to calls for further
research and an examination of the law
permitting its medical use.
Can
Cannabis slow people down?
Cannabis slows down the messages passing
through the brain. It also triggers the
reward centres in the brain, making the
user want to try it again.
The half-life of cannabis in a human
body is four days.
This means that half of the active ingredient
(THC) or its derivatives will still be
present 4 days after it was smoked. A
quarter will be present after 8 days,
and so on, until the remaining traces
are so slight as to be negligible. Cannabis
can be detected 21 days or more after
it was smoked (depending on how much was
taken).
If a tap pours water into a wash-basin
quicker than the drain lets it out, the
basin will fill up and overflow. If cannabis
is put in to a body quicker than it is
got rid of, the active ingredient will
accumulate, especially in fatty tissue
like the brain.
If a person smokes cannabis weekly, or
daily, he/she will not be free of the
active ingredient at any time in the week.
A common effect is that after some time
(weeks or months) the person becomes more
laid-back, easy-going and "happy
going nowhere". They can lose interest
in work or study, in sport or in relationships
with non-smokers. They can become de-motivated,
happy to lie in bed missing work, and
they can become angry with anyone who
threatens to come between them and their
drug.
People who quit using cannabis often
comment after two or three weeks that
they notice a clarity returning to their
brain. "I can think straight again,"
said one.
Even if it were not illegal, students
would be well advised to avoid cannabis,
not only in the few weeks leading up to
exams, but throughout the year when they
are "inputting" knowledge into
their brain. A clouded brain will not
retain the information well.
Alcohol can be just as bad for one’s
memory, but alcohol is metabolised out
of the body more quickly than cannabis,
so a moderate drinker (drinking a few
units of alcohol at the week-end) will
be clear of alcohol for most of the week.
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