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1. TEENAGERS & DRUGS
c2 class
Experimental School of the University of
Thessaloniki
 What are they?
 What leads the
teens to drugs?
 Where are the
drugs allowed?
 How does the
society deal with
the problem of
drug use?
 How is this issue
presented by
Mass Media?
 What are the
consequences?
 What is the
impact on the
society?

2. WHAT ARE THE DRUGS
• Drug is a chemical substance that has known biological
effects on humans or other animals.
• In pharmacology, a drug is "a chemical substance used in
the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or
used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being."
• Recreational drugs are chemical substances that affect the
central nervous system, such as opioids or hallucinogens.
Alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine are the most widely
consumed psychotropic drugs worldwide.
• They may be used for effects on perception, consciousness,
personality, and behavior. Many recreational drugs are also
medicinal.
• Some drugs can cause addiction and habituation and all
drugs have side effects. Many drugs are illegal for
recreational purposes and international treaties

3. WHAT LEADS THE TEENAGERS TO
DRUGS
•Curiosity
•There is a percentage of young people who
feel isolated from the community and want to
relieve their pain.
• Reaction to the family )
•Reaction to the existing social system or to authority
•Vulnerable personalities
• A dependency is not a clinical picture with a clear
explanation like in the case of an injury or a flu.
Claiming that a certain type of personality or a specific
situation leads to a dependency is not true.
 The reasons who
lead teenagers
to drugs are:
 E.g. Children of
broken families
(divorced
parents)

4. COUNTRIES WHERE DRUGS ARE
ALLOWED
• There are countless policies on drugs and approaches
is not clear which approach is most effective.Each
government has different policies. What are the most
liberal countries in this area?
• Countries that impose many strict laws on drug use,
consider that this system will reduce drug use to a
minimum.
• Conversely, countries with more flexible laws often
insist that a more liberal approach will result in
reduction of black market drugs and violent crime
resulting there from. What are the most liberal countries
on drug use?
Are there any?
CROATIA
AYSTRALIA
EKUADOR

5. HOW DOES THE SOCIETY DEAL
WITH THE PROBLEM OF DRUG
USE

6. ORGANIZED STATE - SOCIETY
Direct actions of health education are:
•programs in schools and other preventive interventions in the
workplace, in sports areas, in places of entertainment for young
people.
The main target of these actions is to inform and educate young
people to develop skills resistance to drug use.
 INFORMATION IN
SCHOOLS AND IN
OTHER AREAS
ABOUT THE
PROBLEM OF
DRUGS
 REHAB CENTER
• Centers where they medicate substitutes – methadone (OKANA)
• Centers where they accord psychological support, without
substitutes
( KETHEA, public mental hospital).
LAW
ENFORCEMENT
• The law provides a small imprisonment sentence for drug users
in order to prevent them.
• The law provides an incarceration sentence for drug
trafficking.
 THE SOCIETAL
REACTION
• The presence of the family and friends contributes decisively to
the result of therapy of the addict, particularly teenagers.

7. HOW IS THIS ISSUE PRESENTED BY
MASS MEDIA
 PRESS
 RADIO
 TELEVISION
 SOCIAL
MEDIA
 MUSIC
 MOVIES
 Mass Media are shaping public opinion.
 Mass Media can drastically influence the teenagers
regarding the use or not of drugs: they can direct them
towards the drugs or they can deter them from their use.
 Moreover, the Mass Media is an important source of
information for the people regarding the drugs and if the
information is disseminated correctly can sensitize the
people about the use of drugs.
 As the journalist can alter the opinions of his public, he
can affect positively or negatively the public discussion
about the drugs and can help the realization of adopted
policies by the government for this topic.

8.  About
Greece:
• There aren’t any researches about how the Mass Media
resent the topic of drugs.
• The researches concern about only the increase of the
users and the policies of rehab that are followed.
• Whereas, many other countries (such as U.S.A., Australia,
Hong-Kong ) had conducted researches regarding the
involvement of the Media in the area of drugs.
• In U.S.A. they deal effectively with the problem of the
drugs f.e. ABC news had an article about Media Portrayal
of Drugs where it is argued that the advertisement can
influence or not the young people towards the drugs.
- A shrinking number of teens say rap or rock music makes
drugs seem OK, just 42% in 2000, down from 51% in
1997.
- For television, 40% of teens in 2000 said programs make
drugs seem OK, down from 44% in 1997.
 U.S.A.
Concerning
researches
conducted in the
USA, a recent
survey conducted by
the “Partnership for
a Drug-Free
America”, shows
that:

9. Media
Literacy:
“teach,
don't
preach”
BUT:• America's youth is still getting mixed messages about illegal
substances.
• Research shows that television, music and movies normalize
certain kinds of unhealthy behavior.
• The blame cannot be placed on one medium alone:
"it is pop culture, it's the talk-show hosts that make light of
drugs and… it is also, the mixed messages got from movie stars
and other celebrities”.
1. Teens need to understand how the media convey
information as well, making it harder for the viewer to be
manipulated.
2. As part of one such media literacy course, students at
Montgomery Blair High School … study prime-time
television, movies and advertisements. They look at drugs
and alcohol, and then try to lay out the ads" as a way to
understand how media messages work.

10.  The
consequences
of using drugs
on teenagers
are:
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF
USING DRUGS ON TEENAGERS?
• The use of illegal substances and especially the use of
injections transmit the virus HIV and other infectious diseases
like hepatitis C and B.
• With the use of drugs poisoning can be caused with
various symptoms, which can finally lead to breath and
circulation paralysis and death.
• Most substances affect the recent memory, mental
activity, judgment and perception of the young people who use
them.
• Muscle strength is reduced and all the functions that
require certain skills are affected.
• The combination of some substances with alcohol
increases the possibilities of sudden death.
• Intense psychological dependence is caused
• Drugs reduce appetite and cause insomnia.
 E.g. they may not
remember basic
things like their
birthday or the
days of the week,
while they are
unable to do
simple maths.

11. WHAT IS THE IMPACT ON THE
SOCIETY
• Specific use of cannabis increased health and family
problems. Alcohol use, which was not reflected in General
Drug Use, had no specific negative effects, but it reduced
loneliness in romantic relationships, self-derogation, and
family problems.
• The social and economic costs related to youth substance
abuse are high. They result from the financial losses and
distress suffered by alcohol- and drug-related crime
victims, increased burdens for the support of adolescents
and young adults who are not able to become self-
supporting, and greater demands for medical and other
treatment services for these youth.

12. • In other words the community loss of drug
use from teenagers is that it will not develop.
The teenagers are about to built the future of a
community. They will reach new medical
methods, improve the technology etc. They
will make the way of living more easier. If
these teenagers are distracted from their
studies by drugs, then, they will never be
educated and they will impose on their
community.

14. SMALL SCALE RESEARCH
SURVEY
TEENAGERS’ PERCEPTIONS
ABOUT DRUGS
THE ROLE OF MASS MEDIA,
SOCIETY AND SCHOOL
PARTICIPANTS 50 students
AGED 14-16 years old
1.Do you think
drugs have negative
impact on
teenager’s life?
2.Do you think that
drugs have a
positive impact on
teenager’s
psychology?
3.Do you believe
that teens are
influenced by
media?
4.Do you think that
teens are
adequately informed
by the society about
that disadvantages
of taking drugs?
5. Has the school
informed you about
the consequences
of taking drugs?

15. 1.DO YOU THINK DRUGS
HAVE NEGATIVE IMPACT ON
TEENAGER’S LIFE?
1.Do you think drugs
have negative impact
on teenager’s life?
2.Do you think that
drugs have a positive
impact on teenager’s
psychology?
3.Do you believe that
teens are influenced
by media?
4.Do you think that
teens are adequately
informed by the
society about that
disadvantages of
taking drugs?
5. Has the school
informed you about
the consequences of
taking drugs?

16. 2.DO YOU THINK THAT
DRUGS HAVE A POSITIVE
IMPACT ON TEENAGER’S
PSYCHOLOGY?
1.Do you think
drugs have negative
impact on
teenager’s life?
2.Do you think that
drugs have a
positive impact on
teenager’s
psychology?
3.Do you believe
that teens are
influenced by
media?
4.Do you think that
teens are
adequately
informed by the
society about that
disadvantages of
taking drugs?
5. Has the school
informed you about
the consequences
of taking drugs?

17. 3.DO YOU BELIEVE THAT TEENS
ARE INFLUENCED BY MEDIA?
1.Do you think
drugs have negative
impact on
teenager’s life?
2.Do you think that
drugs have a
positive impact on
teenager’s
psychology?
3.Do you believe
that teens are
influenced by
media?
4.Do you think that
teens are
adequately
informed by the
society about that
disadvantages of
taking drugs?
5. Has the school
informed you about
the consequences
of taking drugs?

18. 4.DO YOU THINK THAT TEENS
ARE ADEQUATELY INFORMED
BY THE SOCIETY ABOUT THE
DISADVANTAGES OF TAKING
DRUGS?
1.Do you think
drugs have negative
impact on
teenager’s life?
2.Do you think that
drugs have a
positive impact on
teenager’s
psychology?
3.Do you believe
that teens are
influenced by
media?
4.Do you think that
teens are
adequately
informed by the
society about that
disadvantages of
taking drugs?
5. Has the school
informed you about
the consequences
of taking drugs?

19. 5. HAS THE SCHOOL INFORMED
YOU ABOUT THE
CONSEQUENCES OF TAKING
DRUGS?
1.Do you think
drugs have negative
impact on
teenager’s life?
2.Do you think that
drugs have a
positive impact on
teenager’s
psychology?
3.Do you believe
that teens are
influenced by
media?
4.Do you think that
teens are
adequately
informed by the
society about that
disadvantages of
taking drugs?
5. Has the school
informed you about
the consequences
of taking drugs?