Drugs

1. Drugs By: Dennis Jimenez

2. What is a drug? • A drug is any substance that changes how the mind or body works. • Medicines are considered drugs, however, they are not illegal drugs, but legal drugs. • There are also drugs that may only be taken if you are age appropriate. Such as, tobacco and alchohol. • A drug is a substance that has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body, in particular.

3. Facts about Drugs • More teens die from prescription drugs than heroin/cocaine combined. • More than 60 percent of teens said that drugs were sold, used, or kept at their school. • 1 in 9 high school seniors has tried Spice/K2 (synthetic marijuana) • Young people who drink alcohol are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than teens who never drink. • In 2012, 15 percent of high school seniors used prescription drugs. However, 35 percent feel regular use is risky. • Around 28 percent of teens know a friend or classmate who has used ecstasy, with 17 percent knowing more than one user. • By the 8th grade, 29.5 percent of adolescents have consumed alcohol, 15.5 percent have smoked cigarettes, and 15 percent have used marijuana. • Teens whose parents talk to them regularly about the dangers of drugs are 42 percent less likely to use drugs than those whose parents don't. However, only a quarter of teens report having these conversations. • 6.5 percent of high school seniors smoke daily, up from 5.1 percent five years ago. Meanwhile, only 20.6 percent of 12th graders think occasional use is harmful, while 44 percent see regular use as harmful (lowest numbers since 1983).

4. At what grade levels are people most likely to take drugs? • Well it really depends on what they are taking. For instance, if you were in grade 8 you are more likely to take marijuana than any other drug however this can change depending on each person. • If you know someone who uses club drugs, urge him or her to get help. If you’re using them—stop! The longer you ignore the real facts, the more chances you take with your life. It’s never too late. Talk to your parents, a doctor, a counselor, a teacher, or another adult you trust.

5. Personal Relation • I know people who had taken drugs. I don’t have the best personal relation because I had never taken illgal drugs, but its what I got.

6. Why do people take/start drugs? • Well this is a great question, because, people start or take drugs because most of the time it is curiosity that leads them to experiment a bit and see what happens. Secondly, there is the gateway drug. This is a drug like tobacco or alcohol what happens is that they want to try something new or stronger so they start taking a drug compulsively. Which usually ends as an addiction.