Underage and drug abuse

Underage and drug abuse

Drug abuse and illicit alcohol consumption have been prevalent in the united states. Worse still, underage drug abuse is also an everyday phenomenon in the country with a survey indicating that 22% of binge drinking and 39% consuming alcohol at least once in a month (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC 2020). These statistics are alarming, given that some under ages risk their lives in a bid to consume drugs even at prohibited hours. This was the case during my patrol time that I bumped with four under ages, three males and one female who was under the influence of drugs. The status offense law that was being violated by the underage teens was alcohol consumption. According to several state laws, the Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) is 21 years. The bill was enacted to protect under ages from drinking health problems as well as social and economic issues that result from illicit alcohol consumption (Hafemeister et al., 2004). Besides, the juveniles were violating the local curfew law and smoking.

Given the status offenses that each underage has committed, I would question them as to why they are using drugs and violating the curfew hours. Since they are also minors, I would ask them to present any identification documents they might be possessing to ascertain that they are not in possession of false documents that they might have taken or stolen from an adult. Further, getting the identity cards in their procession will establish some facts, such as whether they presented false documents to the alcohol outlet or whether the outlet sold the alcohol under the knowledge that they were minors. Several alcohol outlets are aware of the consequences of selling alcoholic beverages to minors. This would result in the provocation of their outlet’s license, fines, or even jail terms (Sage journal, 2018). If the juveniles do not have any identification documents, this would mean that the outlet was aware of their being as minors, and this would lead to their arrest. On the other hand, if they do not possess any identification documents, it would also mean that an adult might have purchased the alcohol on their behalf, and this would lead to the arrest of the adult for providing minors with alcohol. For the female status offender, I would ask her for identification documents and also counsel her on the dangers of early childhood smoking effects such as cardiovascular and respiratory issues. Since the minors are out in the outlawed hours of the night, I would then summon them to the juvenile police department while awaiting their parents or guardians. I would do this since most under ages cannot be prosecuted or handled without the guidance of an adult (Sage Journal, 2018). While at it, I would also question them, book, take their fingerprints, and detain them for not more than six hours. This would make sure that the minor’s details are taken to provide the authorities with future information in case the juveniles might engage in another future status offence. This is essential as serial offenders face different law sanctions as compared to first-time juvenile law offenders.

Any teen-status offense violator who is being uncooperative would result in being body searched by force if they do not present any documents that might be in possession. Besides, I would handcuff them and put them in the patrol car since being uncooperative might also be a result of other hidden agendas, such as conspiring to commit another crime. Not answering questions about their identification is also being uncooperative. In such a case, I would even arrest them for detainment as this would mean to the juvenile a real picture of their lawlessness. If the minors are not cooperative, getting to know the motive behind their disorder would be difficult. By taking them to the juvenile’s police department, they might be more open and communicative to another law enforcer in that department. This will not only assist in further identifying them but also holding them safely in the detainment cells as being out in the curfew hours would translate to risky exposure, mainly due to their drunkenness.

In the case of uncooperative parents who do not pick up their child at the scene, I would ask the minors of another guardian’s details to pick the child. This would change the course of this case since the juvenile’s lack of law orderliness is due to lack of love, support, and care from their parent ( This would also mean that the minor has been facing social and family constraints from their immediate loved ones and results in drug abuse as well as being unsupervised in late hours of the night. According to research, juveniles engage in drug abuse due to mental or social constraints they face either at home or school. I would also put them under counselling services since they could be mentally and emotionally traumatized.

The prevalent cases of drug abuse among minors are at an alarming rate. According to statistics, minors are engaging in binge drinking at a 22% rate, while 39% consume alcohol at least once in a month. The case that I bumped into confirms these statistics as they were smoking and drinking alcohol. Since they were minors, I had to question them on how they got the drugs, took them to the juvenile’s police department since it was in the curfew hours while awaiting their parents. I had also to counsel them since drug abuse, especially for minors, could be a result of emotional or mental problems. Drug abuse for minors is a common issue in the country and, as such, should be dealt with in a caring and lawful manner.