Substance Use in the USA - Past and Current Trends PaperNowadays, all countries face the problem of substance abuse. According to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, there are "an estimated 15.9 million illicit drug users in the United States, excluding those who abuse prescription and over-the-counter drugs, other substances and alcohol"(About.com, 2008). Substance and drug use has changed over the last few years in the Unites States mainly because of trends that the country faces from different ethnicities and their different habits.
This paper will discuss:1.past and current trends of substance and drug use2.ways of encouraging and supporting drug use3.health problems arising from drug usePast and Current Trends of Substance and Drug UseOne of the most famous drugs that the author would like to discuss is marijuana. Although, there is a scientific evidence regarding the negative effects of marijuana on people's health, many people ignore these facts and use marijuana as a medical remedy.
Source: A Public Health Approach to Drug Control i...
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English: Section 28 of Washington Initiative 502 (...It makes this drug still to be trendy and also one of the most controversial drugs known and used today and in the past. Another popular drug is cocaine. There is a noticeable decrease in the use of cocaine in the United Sates over the last 20 years; however, the use of its derivative, crack, increases every day. Heroin trend, on the other side, shows no significant difference in its use in last 10 years. Only the way of taking it changed form injection to snorting because of the fear of becoming infected with the AIDS virus from needles and the misconception that this way of use will not lead to addiction. Methamphetamine became famous 30 years ago and is still very popular. Its use increased rapidly in "1994 when it reached 63% (The Data Bank, 2005). However, currently its use declines slowly.