Alan I. Leshner, Ph.D. Right at the top of virtually every parent's concerns is the fear that their children might become involved with drugs. And they are right to be concerned. Whether in cities, suburbia or rural communities, whether in wealthy or poor neighborhoods, drugs are now readily available to all young people. And even the seemingly nerdiest kids can speak with apparent fluency and familiarity about marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and such strange-sounding things as blunts, ecstasy, roofies, Special K, and crystal meth.
Drugs are an equal opportunity destroyer.
Fifty percent of young people have used an illegal drug by the time they leave high school. The first step is to understand why Sally or Johnny might be using drugs. Researchers have identified over 50 factors that might put someone at risk for drug use. These risk factors can be found at the individual, the family, peer groups, and broader community levels. They include things like having too much free time, weak family structures, peer group, social pressures, and the glorification of drug use by some in the popular media.