It+All+Starts+With+Mary+Jane

Emma Golledge Student Number: N8888965 Tutor: Steve Badman [] ** ‘It All Starts With Mary Jane’ **  //Mary Jane/Cannabis/Marijuana; the so called ‘gateway drug’ and its impact on the lives of young teens.//

** Artefact **
====This artefact is a video about the use of illicit drug use in teenagers. More specifically, the fact that marijuana is being classified as the ‘gateway drug’. This video was published in January of this year which shows its currency and on-going prevalence. Although all partakers in the video are American, the issue is relevant to many modern day societies. The video encompasses stories from teenagers and young adults and their experience with drugs. Most, in fact all teenagers said that they used initially used marijuana and that it soon became a gateway drug to other illicit substances. Along with their stories, the video also includes expert opinions from two doctors who discuss the nature of marijuana addiction, the effects it has on the body, and why it may lead to other illicit drug use.====

** The Public Health Issue **
====The public health issue that this video represents is drug use amongst teenagers; in particular, the use of marijuana as an onset to other illicit drug abuse. As stated by the Better Health Channel, young people try drugs for various reasons such as relaxation, curiosity, socialising and peer pressure (State Government of Victoria, 2011). Many parents are concerned that if their child becomes involved with cannabis, it will only be a matter of time before they begin using other illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin (Department of Health, 2013). The teenagers in the video mentioned that the reason they moved onto other illicit substances was because they found that smoking marijuana was not enough, and that it was no-longer satisfying and therefore felt the need to pursue onto harder, more dangerous drugs. Apart from the fact that this issue is becoming more prevalent globally, the burden it is posing on the Australian healthcare system is astonishing. In 2004-05, illicit drug use cost the healthcare system 201.7 million dollars (Collins & Lapsley, 2008). If this on-going issue can be minimised, the money that would have otherwise been spent on hospitalisation fees, could be utilised elsewhere for example, rehabilitation and treatment facilities for users etc.====

** Literature Review **
====Unfortunately during adolescence, experimentation with drugs is common. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (2013) drug addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences to the addicted individual and those around him or her. In 2004, 38% of Australians aged 14 years and over had used an illicit drug in their lifetime and 15% in the last 12 months. Out of those 38% using illicit drugs, marijuana was the most commonly used (34%) (Australian Institute of Health Welfare, 2007).==== ====The argument that cannabis is a gateway drug which encourages the use of other illicit drugs has a long history and many critics argue that the linkages between cannabis use and other forms of drug use do not reflect a casual sequence in which the use of cannabis encourages the use of, or experimentation with other forms of drug use. Despite these critiques, the research provided produces a compelling set of results that support the idea that cannabis use may encourage the onset of other illicit drug use (Fergusson & Horwood, 2000).==== ====A longitudinal study conducted by Fergusson and Horwood in 2000 concluded that by 21 years of age, 70% of cohort members used cannabis and 26% had used other illicit drugs; all but 3 cases had preceded the use of illicit drugs. Those using cannabis on more than 50 occasions a year had hazards of other illicit drug use that were 140 times higher than non-users. Although according to researchers, there is no certainty that the use of cannabis will lead to the use of other illicit drugs however after the adjustment for covariate factors in the Fergusson and Horwood (2000) study including childhood factors, family factors and adolescent lifestyle factors, cannabis use remains strongly related to the onset of other forms of illicit drug use.==== ====This particular public health issue is often targeted at the younger generations in society. The reason for this being the case is the fact that teenagers are especially vulnerable when it comes to temptations of drug abuse. In the video mentioned above, Dr. Dave Lewis explains how marijuana effects the body and may lead to an addiction or onset to other illicit drugs (Lewis, 2013). Addiction begins at the nerve cell. Lewis states that our bodies produce a hormone called ‘serotonin’ which plays an important part in the regulation of learning, sleep and mood; //‘a natural anti-depressant’// as he likes to call it. Dr. Lewis explained the after using marijuana for a period of 6 months, serotonin levels become extremely low and therefore a person’s coping mechanisms begin to break down. When serotonin levels are low, people begin to feel depressed but they simply believe that marijuana is no-longer helping them escape depression and hence, why they feel that in order to treat their own depression, they must move on to other illicit drugs (Lewis, 2013).==== ====While recent studies clearly model the influence of stress exposure and the gateway effect that marijuana has, a major limitation that was identified is the fact that many fail to consider recent and on-going stressors that may contribute significantly to current patterns of drug use amongst teens. Consequently, their stress index likely underestimates the explanatory importance of environmental stressors. In future, public health experts need to focus on more anti-drug media campaigns, more drug testing in schools and in the workplace, brief interventions for both children and adults, improving access to treatment and recovery facilities and drug courts. Future research would benefit strongly by broadening its focus to the effects of drug use in early life on various outcomes; both positive and negative, and in both youth and adulthood. Results in recent studies may not necessarily capture the complexity of drug use patterns in teens and other parts of the world (Van Gundy & Rebellon, 2010). As such, future researchers must examine more closely the role that marijuana plays in teenager’s lives and the gateway effects it has in a variety of diverse social and cultural settings. From there, drug policy solutions should follow only from careful consideration of such effects in a social and cultural context.====

** C **** ultural and Social Analysis **
====Being a teenager and raising a teenager are individually and collectively, enormous challenges. For a lot of teenagers, illicit drug and substance use becomes a normal activity throughout their teenage years. Although some research has provided that most teens who use marijuana will not necessarily progress to using other illicit drugs, there exists results that indicate clear correlations between marijuana and its gateway effects, as noted earlier. (American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, 2013). There is no single cause or reason as to why teenagers participate in the use of illicit drugs however functionalists believe that society plays a major role.==== ====A functionalist perspective takes the stance that assumes society as proving us with ‘norms’ or ‘guidelines’. These norms are based on what the majority of society believes and it is confirmed through their actions. Brower (2002) argues that these perceived cultural norms are determined by the environment. To explain drug abuse in a social and cultural context, functionalists rely on Durkheim’s theory of ‘anomie’. Emile Durkheim believed in a methodology where under conditions of rapid cultural change, there would be an absence of common social norms and controls; a state he called anomie. If society lacks norms that control their behaviours, people are likely to pursue self-destructive behaviours (Guerrero, 2005). During periods where a person is socially isolated e.g. moving to a new house, a new school, parental divorce etc. they may experience high levels of stress and anxiety which may also lead to self-destructive behaviours; for instance drug abuse i.e. marijuana.==== ====Marijuana has been around for centuries however, the rise of marijuana came around with the counter culture of the Beatniks during the 1950s and the hippie movement during the 1960s. Back in those days, people were experimenting with new ways to enjoy themselves. Many people wanted to try the drug and as demand rose, so did the supply until it became the popular recreational drug that it is so labelled today (Casa Palmera, 2013). During that time, there was a general sense of ‘sticking it to the man’. They were a generation of disenchanted youth who were dissatisfied with the politics and culture. Sex and drugs in particular were a way of escaping the realities of the world.==== ====In Australia, teenagers use drugs for the same reasons as adults and youth in other parts of the world. Using drugs is a way of relaxing and having fun. They use drugs as coping methods for pressure, pain, stress and anxiety, and some purely because of boredom (National Institute for Drug Abuse, 2012). Obviously the main people affected by this public health issue are the younger generations within society. The young generations are most affected by this issue because they are seen to be the most vulnerable. One of the major concerns is that young teenagers appear to be targeted as the new market for the drug industry across the globe. Electronic media and campaigns against the legal and illicit drug industries are sending mixed messages to young people. These messages are usually presented in a very appealing, attractive and persuasive manner. Therefore social development interventions must be aware of these realities and complex challenges posed by the drug industry (Mazibuko, 2000).====

** Analysis of Artefact **
====The artefact is illustrated in a way that explains the reality of drug use amongst teenagers. The children’s experiences with drugs in the video are a clear indication of how and why this issue has and is still rising and gives experts an understanding of how tackle this problem to prevent it from happening. The issue depicted in the artefact is the idea that marijuana acts as a gateway drug. Therefore, in order to tackle and prevent the issue, I believe it is imperative to prevent teens from using drugs in the first place. As research suggests, there is no single reason as to why teenagers use nor is there a single solution to helping the problem. Experts agree that drug use amongst teens is quite common and not matter what measures are taken, it will still go on. Nonetheless, I believe that the most effective way to reduce the prevalence of this issue is to raise awareness particularly to parents and inform them of the issue and ensure that they do what they can to keep their children safe. For example this may include providing a loving and caring home environment, appropriate discipline, and nurturing. With all this in mind, it is possible that prevention methods can be taken and awareness be made to help tackle this both social and public health issue. Only then, can a healthier life be created for the young lives within society.====

Department of Health (2013). //National Drugs Campaign//. Retrieved October 2013, from []
Fergusson, D. M., & Horwood, L. J. (2000). Does Cannabis Use Encourage Other Forms of Illicit Drug Use? //Christchurch School of Medicine//, //95//(4), 505-520. Retrieved from []

Lewis D. (2013, January). InsideDope Marijuana Teen Addiction [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mesfPehYGg
====Mazibuko, F. (2000). Drugs and Young People: Prevention and Therapeutic Models of Intervention within the Context of Social Development. //International Conference on Social Welfare//. Retrieved from []==== ==== National Institute on Drug Abuse (2012, November). // Understanding Drug Abuse and Addiction //. Retrieved October 2013, from http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/understanding-drug-abuse-addiction ====

Learning Reflections
1. http://healthcultureandsociety2013.wikispaces.com/Kill+or+be+killed

2. http://healthcultureandsociety2013.wikispaces.com/Rape+myth+acceptance+and+victim+blaming+in+today%E2%80%99s+society%2C+and+the+importance+of+education