Report on drug use shows problems

Memory loss, loss of coordination, psychotic behavior, hallucinations and increased chances of heart failure and stroke -- these are all effects of methamphetamines and marijuana, the drugs that used to be most common among teenagers.

Recently, the University of Michigan published a statement that the usage rates of meth and pot among teens has gone down significantly over the past ten years. On the other hand, though, the use of cocaine and OxyContin among teens has increased drastically. Parents, educators, law enforcers and doctors have dreamed to see the day when the use of drugs among teens goes down. But did they think that it would usher in the use of more harmful, life-threatening drugs than ever before?

Cocaine, shown to constrict blood vessels and make the heart lose its natural rhythm, works much faster to deteriorate the body than marijuana does. OxyContin and Vicodin, both opioid-like medications, depress one's breathing, leading to death. These more serious drugs, that have taken meth and marijuana's place in teen's lives, show that rebellion among teens is increasing, rather than decreasing. The University of Michigan's report should be devastating, not uplifting.

Steph Hopp

Batavia High School