Drug Education: Reasons and Failures

Abstract

This paper contains 50 “reasons” which various individuals or groups have used to explain increasing drug abuse by youth. The reasons, listed generally from simple to complex, are grouped into 10 categories: criminal elements, minorities, youth, adults, homes, schools, churches, corporate system, political system and society. The implication is clear that the interplay of reasons for increasing drug abuse in our society is extremely complicated and that educational or remedial programs built upon simplistic cause-models will be relatively ineffective. Contributions that cognitive education can make to eliminating the problem of drug abuse are limited and may be counterproductive. The species-adaptive curiosity and gambling instinct (attraction to try for possible short term gain in the face of possible long term damage) will not be educated from mankind and evaluation of drug abuse education programs based upon eliminating drug abuse is unrealistic. In spite of this, the conclusion is developed that thorough, honest drug education is necessary.