Drug use among teen-agers is rising, and researchers say one cause is the "glamorizing" of drugs by the entertainment industry. Some 1.8 million teen-agers reported using marijuana at least once last year, and investigators fear a significant proportion of them eventually may move on to harder drugs like cocaine. But blaming it all on the entertainment industry is a little too pat, sort of like Claude Raines' ironic injunction in the movie "Casablanca": "Round up the usual suspects!"
The survey, conducted by the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, found that almost a third of American high school seniors and 13 percent of eighth-graders have used marijuana at least once in the last year. Use of cocaine, crack, hallucinogenic drugs, heroin and stimulants was also up for the second straight year. Another troubling statistic: the number of teen-agers expressing disapproval of drugs has gone down, indicating many young people no longer see drug use as a serious risk.
Teen drug use is still lower than it was during the 1980s. It had been tapering off until 1992, when it began rising again. The Michigan investigators acknowledge that many factors played a role in the turnaround, including peer pressure and a relaxation of efforts by major anti-drug organizations. But they also attribute part of the increase to constant reminders in music and films that drug use is acceptable.
That idea is similar to the arguments of those who claim that violence in movies, TV and popular music make impressionable young people more prone to violent behavior. There is some correlation between the two, but no one has shown a causal link. Indeed, youthful violent offenders seem far more influenced by real-life violence in their communities than by anything on TV.
It is easy to blame "the media" for everything from rising rates of crime and drug use to the breakdown of the family and the decline of civility. But we live in an age of profound and rapid change. It is the uncertainty generated by such upheaval that is primarily responsible for fluctuating expectations and standards of conduct among young people. Mitigating the worst effects of such change on young people is the surest way to guard against deviance, including drug use. That is where efforts should be directed. The tube may be powerful, but it's a mistake to exaggerate its impact.