Just Say Know” to Teenagers and Marijuana

Bibliographic Data

ID13914289
AuthorsMarsha Rosenbaum (Linde (United States), corresponding author)
Year1998
Volume30
Issue2
Pages197-203
Publication date1998-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Psychoactive Drugs (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0279-1072 • E-ISSN: 2159-9777
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02791072.1998.10399690
PMID9692382
OpenAlexW2139084167
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited22

Despite increasing expenditures on prevention, government survey after survey indicates that marijuana use--which comprises 90% of illicit drug use--has not been eradicated among teenagers. Today's adolescents have been exposed to the largest dose of prevention in our history. After three decades of such efforts, one must ask why young people continue to use marijuana, and why drug education has failed to bring about a marijuana-free teenage America. Drug education falls short because it is based on a "no-use" premise, scare tactics and top-down teaching. Such programs do not educate, and may even be counterproductive for those who choose to say "maybe" or "sometimes," or "yes." Moreover, drug education, as has been the case since its advent, is based on politics rather than science--an enormous taxpayer drain with few demonstrative results. A new strategy for drug education requires a pragmatic view that accepts the ability of teenagers, if educated honestly and in ways they trust, to make wise decisions leading, if not to abstinence, to moderate, controlled, and safe use

Abstinence · Criminology · Drug · Drug education · Drug prevention · Government (linguistics · Illicit drug · Political science · Politics · Premise · Psychiatry · Public relations · Skepticism · Substance abuse · Taxpayer · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health · Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Law · Medicine · Psychology

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