Cannabis Abuse in Teenagers: Impaired Growth and Development

Running head: MILESTONE ONE: SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Milestone One: Traditional Theories
Substance abuse
Darroniya Thomas
Contemps Issues In Addiction

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Cannabis abuse in teenagers and how it leads to impaired growth and development
Description of the issue
Substance abuse is the risky use of psychoactive drugs that change the normal function of
the brain according to Bivin & Riaz, (2017). Cannabis is one of the commonly abused substances
by the youth. The compelling reason for use of cannabis is due to recreational purposes because
young people believe that it acts as a mood enhancer. The use of cannabis leads to temporary or
permanent change in one’s behavior, perception, consciousness, and mood. The abuse of
cannabis drugs is a global challenge that many nations are suffering from around the world.
However, the population that experiences a high percentage of cannabis abuse in the world is the
youths. Consequently, the level of addiction to cannabis, also called marijuana among
adolescents is affecting the countries negatively. One of the reasons that make the issue a global
challenge is that teenagers are the people who contribute to a higher percentage of the country’s
economy. The first step in addressing this problem is identifying the causes of the issue among
the issues. The countries that are affected by this problem list the following as some the causes of
substance abuse among the teenagers:
i. Peer pressure- this is one of the primary reason of cannabis abuse among
teenagers. The children who join the adolescent group get influence from their
friends. For instance, a youth that identifies with marijuana addicts mainly end up to
start doing the same. The reason is that birds of the same feathers will always flock
together.
ii. Social media- almost every youth have access to a gadget that can access online
materials. Social media is full of every form of drug abuse and the methods of

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obtaining the drugs according to Das, Salam, Arshad, Finkelstein & Bhutta, (2016).
Therefore, it promotes a higher level of abuse among youths.
iii. Lack of supervision from the parents- the high cost of living in many countries
have made the parents concentrate on how to make ends meet in their families. The
parents are always busy looking at how to pay fees and meet other basic needs in the
family. They like time to concentrate on the youths. Therefore, teenagers take
advantage of this freedom to abuse drugs. The parents only realize at later stages that
their child is hooked on drugs.
iv. Accessibility to drugs is easy- the sellers and suppliers of these drugs are known,
people. They connect with some people in the authority department to run these
illegal businesses, thus making it easy for the youths to access the drugs.
Drug addiction among youths takes various forms. DiClemente, (2018) argue that one may be
addicted to smoking, inhalants, pills or liquid drugs. However, the effects of each of these forms
differ depending on the drugs.
Behavioral or process, addiction and social norms about substance abuse among the
youths.
Norms refer to what is acceptable to a given society. There are behaviors in drug
addiction among the youths that goes against the standard in the community and the medical
sector. When it comes to behavioral norms, some drugs are for specific diseases. However, the
youths go against the purpose of the drug to satisfy their own needs. For instance in medicine, a
small portion of alcohol is to ease digestion. However, youth takes excess alcohol to change their
moods and forget their problems. Such behavior is against the norms of society. Besides that,
there is an aspect of the social norm. The drug addict does not observe time and the place where

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they take the drugs. For instance, a teenager who is addicted to cannabis may decide to smoke it
publicly without considering the presence of other people. Such behavior is against social norm
that expects everybody to behave in an organized manner. Apart from that, the behavior and
addiction norm is also evident in the way the addicted teenagers dress. These people tend to be
shaggy and disorganized. Some of them have a terrible smell from their bodies that make it
difficult for them to socialize with other people.
On the other hand, it is important to note that the social norms of a given society
influence the behaviors of adolescents. Studying the social norms of a given group of people
assist in finding ways to advise youths on health matters. For example, every community
identifies with certain cultural activities that may promote drug abuse. The ideal step is to study
the belief and give proper advice about substance abuse on youths.
Impact of cannabis abuse on teenagers concerning traditional models and theories of
addiction.
Multiple factors promote the development of addiction in adolescents. From traditional
models and theories, environmental influences and biological factors are the leading causes of
drug addiction according to Heather, Best, Kawalek, Field, Lewis, Rotgers, and Heim, (2018).
In biological factors, the youths inherit the addiction behaviors through the genes. In this case, a
child is born; there are already existing addiction behaviors in his or her life. However, when it
comes to environmental influences, these are what the children experience during their childhood
period. For example the cultural activities in the societies and the interpersonal relationships that
the child develops as he or she grows.
From the traditional model and theories on addiction, there are evident impacts of cannabis
substance abuse on the adolescent. However, these effects differ based on the drug the youth is