Clio Gentry

The article compares the use of drugs and alcohol among foster youth to their respective non-foster youth peers. The findings indicate that foster youth tend to begin use of alcohol and marijuana 1.5 years before their peers on average. The results of the studies in the article indicated that about 54% of foster youth had used alcohol at least once in their lives. However, when compared to their counterparts living in their parents home, the rates of alcohol and drug use were actually quite similar. One interesting aspect of the article is that 33% of adults that had been in foster care reported having drug or alcohol abuse issues, and 20% reported using drugs in the past month. Additionally, 1 in 5 reported drinking at least once per week and 56% acknowledged use of illegal substances during foster care, while in the foster care system.

The article’s results are trustworthy because it uses research across six different studies, accounting for variety in answers given by foster youth. This article also cites many different sources for comparison allowing for access to a lot of information. The article fails to account for factors like race/ethnicity, age, sexuality, gender identity, and history of abuse or neglect, but addresses that these have an impact on use and more research should be done in the future.

The article establishes the basics of the case filed by the Bear River Band of Rohnerville Rancheria, Jenner & Block and the California Tribal Families Coalition (CTFC) against Humboldt County and the State of California for discriminatory practices of tribal foster youth. The litigation targets Humboldt County's practice of improperly denying resources to tribal youth after they leave the foster care system at age 18. Tribal youth are the only group of foster youth being denied these resources by the County.

The Legal Director of the California Tribal Families Coalition, Kimberly Cluff states that "Humboldt County officials have ignored our communications for eight months seeking to reverse this discriminatory practice, leaving us with no option but to file a lawsuit to compel the County to provide tribal youth the support they have been promised."

The Article also gives a brief background on California Tribal Families Coalition, Bear River Band of Rohnerville Rancheria, and Jenner & Block. The article includes testimony from officials from each of these organizations and gives a basic overview of why the case has been filed.