Solutions to Reduce Drug Abuse Among Young People

The Adverse Effects of Drugs on Young People
Problem Solution Essay
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Introduction
Drug abuse among young people is already a thorny issue in today's society that threatens the future of society. The Chinese drugs problem has been worsening in the recent past. According to CITATION Age17 \l 1033 (France-Presse, 2017), ‘Chinese seizures of methamphetamine, ketamine and other synthetic drugs surged by 106 percent year on year in 2016.’ The severity of this problem has far-reaching consequences in direct and indirect impact on the cultural, social, political and economic development of the country. It is a problem that necessitates prompt action to address the situation lest the damaging effect of these drugs threatens the future of the country CITATION Vas13 \l 1033 (Vassoler, Byrnes, & Pierce, 2013). One of the best solutions is educating the public and especially children on the adverse effects of these drugs. If the masses are well-informed on the dangers of these drugs and are involved in the war against drug abuse, each individual would take action to help in the fight against drug abuse. In order to combat this issue, the Chinese government should revisit the legal framework on drugs and revise it to enact stricter punishment for drug-related crimes and publish new policies that necessitate schools to teach learners on the dangers of drug abuse. However, a more effective approach would address peer pressure by developing programs that promote positive peer influence such as talent & hobbies development and strategizing on how to ensure the youth have good mental health.
Background information
Long-term drug use has varied consequences on the drug users, but they commonly make the users indulge in illusory self-experience. They can also lose interest in interpersonal relationships, lose passion for life, poor mental health, poor cognitive abilities, addiction, among others CITATION Nat171 \l 1033 (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2017). Drugs affect cognitive development of learners by slowing their learning performance, and they often lose interest in education. If they become addicted, they turn to crime to get means to get more drugs. Some of these crimes are stealing and prostitution. Drug abuse also increases the level of conflict between the user and his/her family members, work & school colleagues, strangers, etc. Drugs also affect the users’ health and their health continually deteriorate as they become hooked to the drugs. For those people who are addicted, the process of becoming clean is very difficult and costly and comes with serious withdrawal effects. Drugs also have an indirect impact on other people especially the people around or close to the person using drugs. The abuser is an economic and social burden to his/her family since he/she continually uses family resources that could be channeled to other meaningful places on either purchasing drugs and or detoxifying the individual. The society also loses on human potential since if the individual could work, he/she could be of economic importance to the society rather than a burden CITATION Nat171 \l 1033 (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2017).
The solution I: Invest in cracking down the production and distribution network of drug peddlers.
All drugs consumed and or abused by any person are sourced from somewhere. This solution advocates for the investment in finding the producers and distributors of the drugs to the final consumer and arresting them to face the law. This approach needs a strong legal and political backing to ensure the government is strongly investing in cleaning the country and ensuring it is free from drugs. Resources would need to be poured to law enforcement agencies who could track and apprehend drug peddlers. Often these are powerful cartels with a strong distribution network, especially in major cities. Thus, the enforcement agencies would be strengthened and empowered lawfully to fight the cartels and bring an end to the consumption of drugs. Confiscating the cartels’ assets and drugs can help weaken their influence and foothold in the society CITATION UNP98 \l 1033 (UN Press Release GA/9420 , 1998). However, the major drawback of this solution is that it is resource intensive. It has also been tried, but it has shown very little success in the past since the cartels always find new ways to navigate the law enforcement agencies. The cartels continue always continue to thrive as long as there is the demand for their products and that is the very reason why major crackdowns on drug abuse have been unsuccessful.
Solution II: Sensitizing the public on the dangers of drug abuse
The government can invest in sensitizing the public on the dangers of drug abuse. There are several ways to achieve this goal. First, drug abuse and its adverse effects can be taught in school, and the learners can be extensive, exhaustively and comprehensively be informed on the adverse ...