An American Tragedy: Crack-cocaine in our schools.
According to Bureau of Justice Statistics, on an average day in America 14 youths will commit suicide, 19 will be murdered, 2,600 will drop out of school, 15,006 ( that's almost 5 million a year ) will begin using drugs, 2,800 will be assaulted, 640 will be robbed and 90 will be raped. These statistics are growing every year.
One of the greatest contributors to suicide, murder, assault, and violence is a drug that gets little recognition for the damage it does and seems so innocent that its passed off like aspirin on street corners and in high school restrooms. This drug is Methamphetamine, also known as "speed", "ice", "crank", "glass", "crystal meth", "sketch", "tweak" and "dope". The drug is cheap, home-made, and readily available.
Seemingly harmless and fun, within months it destroys the mind, depleting sanity and logic, making the user paranoid and psychotic. ,The Office of Drug Control Policy calls the meth movement "massive" and building momentum across the nation.
An estimated 6 million Americans are current crack-cocaine users, and about half of them are age 25 or younger. The use of crack has more than doubled among those 12-17 since 1991.
Marijuana, long proclaimed as a harmless, non-violent, medicinally beneficial drug, has proven the gateway drug to crack-cocaine in over 90% of crack users surveyed.
This alarming phenomenon is not confined to our large cities. I live in an area known as the Verde Valley in northern Arizona. We have a total population of around 64,000 spread amongst 3 large towns and 10 smaller towns and villages. The closest large cities are Prescott and Flagstaff, about 45 minutes driving time distant. The only true metropolitan city in Arizona is Phoenix, about an hour and a half away.
I have been teaching life skills for 5 years now to adolescent boys and girls here in the Verde Valley that have fallen prey to this American tragedy. As recovering substance abusers they are provided with food, shelter, and a program following Narcotics Anonymous ( NA ) guidelines which includes counselling in life skills, goal structuring, mentoring, and peer meetings which are held every night by NA in different locations throughout the Verde Valley. There are literally hundreds of attendees which reflect about 20% of all crack users in our little valley.
The program is structured for an intense 3 month rehab environment with 24 hour one on one supervision, support, and discipline. Sadly, the recidity rate is 68%, that's how tough this monster is to beat.
Please contribute to and support your local Narcotics Anonymous chapter. Thank you.
Crack Cocaine - StreetDrugs.org 0 0 None None http://www.browserdefender.com/en/getdomain/www.streetdrugs.org
Parents, Teachers, Police Officers, Substance Abuse Educators can acquire training aids, brochures, the book Drug Identification Guide and other information ...www.streetdrugs.org/crack.htm
Crack Cocaine 0 0 None None http://www.browserdefender.com/en/getdomain/www.cocaine.org
crack cocaine delivers an intensity of pleasure beyond the bounds of normal ... if taken on their own and to excess, can easily have the reverse effect. ...www.cocaine.org/
Teen Crack Cocaine Addiction | Newport Academy 0 0 None None http://www.browserdefender.com/en/getdomain/www.newport-academy.com
Although things did not quite play out that way, teen crack cocaine addiction is still a problem here in the early 21st century. ...www.newport-academy.com/teen-crack-cocaine-addiction