Today in the United States we are so subcultural in socializing drug use; it can be anywhere from illicit drugs to licit drugs. Every American has at least once in their life time experience some kind drug; many people think that the definition of drug is marijuana, cocaine, heroin, etc. The truth of the matter is that the definition of drug could range anywhere from alcohol to medication that a doctor prescribes. The United States is very focus around drugs, we as a society use drugs for many kind of uses, that range from saving a life, to taking a life; for example The Death Penalty. Throughout this paper there will be discussions on drugs used by the youth, the weakening of social controls, socializing into drug use by subcultural and family conflict and poor parenting. .
There are many drugs that adolescents use in todays society, the most commons one are marijuana, LSD, Ecstasy, Cocaine, Crack and Heroin. Drug use by juveniles has been a revolving problem for decades; it ranges from up in drug use to low in drug use, since the 1960s. A survey done by the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) that the amount of high school seniors that have tried marijuana through the 1970s to 1980s meet its peak, the last half of the decade were sixty percent admitted of trying the drug. After the 1980s marijuana use slowly decreases over forty percent, but had an upturn in the 1990s; that by the year 2000 forty-nine percent of seniors admitted of trying marijuana. The report showed even though marijuana use decrease after the 1980s that other forms of drugs increased during that period. All drugs have certain eras; for example cocaine could be increasing in drug use but heroin could be decreasing in use. Although illicit drugs are a problem in America, the survey also shows that licit drugs are a problem too. Licit drugs such as alcohol and tobacco are a problem among juveniles reports showing a steady decrease from the 1990s because of media degrading a person who smokes or drinks funded by the government .