Teenage Substance Abuse is a Problem
Alcohol, Weed, and Edibles, are an issue for today's teenagers that can be solved easily
Out of 46,000 teenagers tested by the National Institute on Drug Abuse for Teens (NIDA), 13 percent of 8th graders, 30 percent of 10th graders, and 40 percent of 12th graders said that they used a drug at least once. This is a problem that can be solved in 3 or less steps.
How can we fix Alcohol Abuse? I propose 2 solutions for this. Solution #1: Stricter punishments for alcohol dealers who sell beverages to underage people. Solution #2: Stricter laws that prohibit alcohol to be left around the house by negligent parents.
How can we fix Marijuana Abuse? I propose a similar solution, however, Weed isn't addictive unless you're smoking it every hour of the day. Solution #1: Make it harder for underage people to find Weed dealers, aka crack down on them on apps (Social Club, Instagram)
How can we fix Edible Marijuana Abuse? The same solution as Marijuana abuse. Limit dealers to states where it's legal.
Marijuana
Marijuana, Weed, Hemp, whatever you want to call it is the most used and also most harmless drug teenagers use. Although it is harmless and less addictive than other drugs of the same type, it is a drug regardless and is prone to have addicts.
Edibles
Marijuana isn't only in smoking form. You can bake Marijuana into pans of candy, so you can get the buzz without smoking. This is the "safer" (heavy quotations) method of getting a buzz, however it's still prone to addiction.
As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states:
Alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco are substances most commonly used by adolescents.
By 12th grade, about two-thirds of students have tried alcohol.
About half of 9th through 12th grade students reported ever having used marijuana.
About 4 in 10 9th through 12th grade students reported having tried cigarettes.
Among 12th graders, close to 2 in 10 reported using prescription medicine without a prescription.
Even though it's illegal, people from 12 to 20 years of age consume about one-tenth of all alcohol consumed in the United States.
The CDC also states that drugs can "affect the growth and development of teens, especially brain development" they could also "occur more frequently with other risky behaviors, such as unprotected sex and dangerous driving."
Although Marijuana is the most used drug by teens under 21, Alcohol is consumed way more often.
As the NIAAA puts it, out of 7.7 million teenagers:
By age 15, about 33 percent of teens have had at least 1 drink.
By age 18, about 60 percent of teens have had at least 1 drink.
This is an incredibly massive number for our of 7.7 million teenagers. The sad thing is, it can be easily stopped in the 2 ways I listed, however they have been valid solutions for decades, however to no avail, nobody tries to help. Vaping and Weed have no feat on Alcohol.