The next topic I shall be going into research about is the topic of narcotics. This is an extremely broad topic so I am going to cover just some areas that I think are surface level of the problem.
Drugs and effects on teens and young adults
This is a topic and issue that I'm heavily aware of as I grew up in Brighton in the south of England which is known for having the highest rates of use for Cocaine, Ketamine and MDMA. Along with the fact that my father is a security guard in this city as well, so I am aware of the drug problem. Below I will list several concerning facts I've come across about the use and popularity of drugs in recent years.
(Statistic documented from the 3rd of September 2021 by The Argus)
- One in five Brighton residents reported having used cocaine, while one in ten reported using MDMA.
- The survey found that one in fourteen Brighton residents reported using Ketamine
- After alcohol, Cannabis had the highest rate of use during the pandemic from our respondents.
- 49 per cent of UK residents had consumed alcohol in the last twelve months alone and 36 per cent had taken drugs.
- total number of 4,561 deaths related to drug poisoning registered during the first lockdown
(Statistics documented from 10th February 2021 by BBC News)
- Among 17-year-olds in the UK, one in 10 will have used hard drugs, such as ketamine and cocaine
- Drug-use rates were higher among white teens than black teens
(Statistics taken from Young People’s Statistics from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018 published by Public Health England)
- The Crime Survey for England and Wales 2017-182 also showed an increase in any class A drug use in the last year among 16-24 year olds, going from 6.8% in 2007-08 to 8.4% in 2017-18.
- The number of young people entering treatment for problems with ecstasy in 2017-18 increased by 16% from the previous year (1,815 to 2,112) and has almost doubled since 2013-14
- Two-thirds of the young people accessing specialist substance misuse services were male (66%). Around three-quarters (74%) were aged 15 or over. The median age for both female and male was 15 years old. Only 43% of females were aged 16 or over compared to nearly half (49%) of males
International Drug Routes
This is quite a broad topic to cover with there obviously being many factors and issues to cover, so in this initial research I want to cover some statistics I find interesting with the drug routes and the income produced by them.
The video above is Vice Documentary posted on YouTube in 2016 and details the current issues with ecstasy in the United Kingdom. One part of the documentary shows an interview with 2 young men who are actually producing and distributing the drugs in my own home town of Brighton
Statistics gathered from various news outlets such as BBC and The Guardian
•In 2008, global heroin seizures reached a record level of 73.7 metric tons.
•Most of the heroin was seized in the Near and Middle East and South-West Asia
•Heroin made from opium grown in Afghanistan makes up 95% of the market in Europe.
•Estimates of the Taliban's annual share of the illicit drug economy range from $100m-$400m.
•In 2007 and 2008, cocaine was used by some 16 to 17 million people worldwide
•For the North American market, cocaine is typically transported from Colombia to Mexico or Central America by sea
•Cocaine is trafficked to Europe mostly by sea, often in container shipments
•As of 2008, cocaine had become the second most trafficked illegal drug in the world.
Depictions in Modern Media
Below I have several examples of films depicting drugs in various ways. Just below you can see two examples of what I personally feel are good depictions of drug use. With the first being Pulp fiction directed by Quentin Tarintino, the scene shown below is when one of the main female characters confuses white heroin for cocaine leading her to overdose due to the amount consumed, the scene depicts drugs in an awful light and the danger of them can truly be seen. Another example of a good depiction of drugs is from the film Trainspotting staring Ewan McGregor in which his character is shown to have a heroin addiction and all the issues this can cause on your body and life.
Below are some other depictions seen, though this time from films that I believe show the effects and use of drugs to a more positive light, In a way trivialising them into something that seems cool to do.
If I was to ever develop this area into a piece of media, it would be important that I don't go down the route of using them in a trivial way.