Research Issue Paper

Drug Addiction

Wes Moore Book

“Drugs were not new to the Bronx. Marijuana, cocaine, and heroin all took their turns as the drug of choice. But the crack was different. After it o􏰃cially introduced in the early 1980s, it didn’t take long for crack to place a stranglehold on many communities. The Bronx was one of them. I was an eyewitness.”

“Tony had now spent over a decade dealing drugs and knew how much money could be made in the game. He also knew there was no way for someone as young as Wes to make that kind of money DJing. There were not enough records to spin, enough beats to play, to buy that many sneakers. Tony grabbed Wes’s shirt collar and pulled him in close. “How many times do I have to tell you to leave this stuff alone, man?” His tone was low and serious, but he barked his words out like a challenge as the two boys squared on their front lawn, out of sight of Mary, who was inside the house.”

“Crack was different from the drugs that preceded it. It was crazily accessible and insanely potent—and addictive.”

“She reached again for the first Nike box and opened it. Inside were pills, marijuana, half an ounce of powdered cocaine, and half a dozen vials of “ready rock,” or crack cocaine. She felt like she’d been punched in the stomach. She sat down on the bed, unsure of what to think. She wasn’t only upset about the drugs; she was upset about the lying. She didn’t even bother looking in the second box; she already knew all she needed to know. Both of her sons were drug dealers.”

“There was so much money to be made that drug gangs rapidly expanded their ranks, sucking in some of our best friends, and turf wars became deadly, aided by the influx of sophisticated firearms.”

Outside Sources

“This program involving families, schools, communities, and the media are effective for preventing or reducing drug use and addiction.”

“Having a group of friends who consume drugs. Peer pressure is considered to be one of the top causes of alcoholism and SUD. Many young individuals are reported to have started consuming drugs for the first time due to peer pressure from a group of friends who were frequent consumers themselves.”

“Regrettably, many teens consider experimenting with drugs and alcohol to be an important part of growing up, despite the significant risk and many disastrous consequences. Some teens are introduced to drug use through prescriptions and then begin to use recreationally”

“Use of illicit drugs is lower than ever in the United States, at least since we started measuring. In the last five years, the use of all drugs except marijuana has decreased in teens.”

Citation