Talk with your young people about illegal drugs

There are legitimate concerns by many libertarians raised against "the war on drugs."  Some say that free individuals should have the right to ingest whatever they want without fear of arrest, indictment, or legal penalty.  Others say that bans on illegal drugs are doomed to fail in a free society, because too many people who want the drugs will find a way to get them, creating a major class of scofflaws that undermines respect for more important laws.  Still others say that the "war on drugs" has been a failure from the start at too high a cost to society.

That is the view from 30,000 feet.  But the children and other young people you love or care about are targets at ground level.  You should consider telling them that like alcohol, illegal drugs lead people to do irrational things that hurt the users, their victims, and society as a whole.  Share with them local facts that can show that drugs can lead regular people to make dangerous decisions and choices.

Sheriff Rich Stanek of Hennepin County recently released the latest data from a national study of illegal drug use by persons booked into the county jail in downtown Minneapolis.  In 2011, an amazing 89.4% of the people aged 21 or younger who were booked into the jail tested positive for drugs.  That is a 6.3% increase between 2008 and 2011.

That high percentage of drug use by booked suspects covers the full range of criminal activities, from violent crimes (murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated or armed assault) to property crimes (burglary, theft, auto theft, and arson) to other crimes (including simple assault, weapons possession, receiving stolen goods, and prostitution).

The testing is done twice a year at about a dozen large-county jails around the country.  Researchers from the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring ("ADAM") program from the Office of National Drug Control Policy visit each jail for a week in the spring and a week in the autumn.  They interview each booked prisoner and ask about their recent use of illegal drugs,  Then each prisoner takes a urine test to assess the verbal self-reporting on drug abuse.

When you talk to your young people, it is important to have the facts. 

*     Booked suspects under the age of 21 in 2011 tested positive for at least one illegal drug at a rate of 89.4%. 

*     More ominously, young suspects tested positive for more than one category of illegal drugs at a rate of 24/7%, which is an increase of 228% over those tested in 2008.  "Taking illegal drugs in combination is extremely dangerous behavior," said Sheriff Stanek.  "I'm concerned to see this increasing at an alarming rate."

*     An even more dangerous jump was seen in the abuse of oxycodone, a narcotic that is found in many stolen and street-traded prescription medicines.  The percentage of young arrestees in 2011 jumped 560% from 2008.  "The trafficking and abuse of stolen prescription drugs is the fastest growing area of illegal drug abuse," Sheriff Stanek said.  For prisoners aged 21-25 in 2011, the abuse rate jumped a full 300% between 2008 and 2011.

*     The most frequently-abused drug used by young prisoners in 2011 remains marijuana at 83.6%, but the link between smoking grass and  criminal behavior may be less direct because it remains in a body's system for about a month before testing.  A test will not show recent use of such drugs as cocaine, meth, and heroin if 3-4 days have elapsed before the test.

Sheriff Stanek also expressed concerns about the new "synthetic drugs" that are gradually being made illegal through Congressional or state action.  "People don't know what they are getting when they buy supposedly 'safe and legal' drugs on the internet.  Trevor Robinson, 19, died and 10 others were rushed to the hospital from a Blaine house party last March when they took what they believed was a safe and synthetic form of LSD.  Similar concerns are raised about "synthetic marijuana," which involves spraying brain-research chemicals on herbs.  "Most of these drugs are made in factories in China, and you cannot know what chemicals are really being used," Sheriff Stanek said.  "They have led to seizures and brain damage.  When you buy these drugs on the internet, you are playing Russian roulette with your life."

This twice-a-year testing for drug abuse by prisoners is helpful for safety in the jails, because it helps deputies to identify and be ready for medical emergencies that frequently arise as prisoners go through withdrawal or exhibit dangerous or disruptive behavior in the cells.

It is worth talking to your young people.  Only 10 percent of the young people who get booked into jail have done something serious that gets the attention of the police without using illegal drugs first.  Almost 90 percent of the teens who get booked have used one or more illegal drugs just before their arrest.

Preaching is never a comfortable job, but "informing and persuading" young people is an important symbol of your commitment to them.

At any given moment, three million American residents are in jail or prison.  One big step to stay out of that one percent is to skip using illegal drugs.