Addiction around the World
Drug abuse has been a major problem in the U.S. and other countries around the world. Drug abuse leads to addiction, which is challenging to fight. A large number of those addicted to drug or substance use are within their teenage and youth stages. It is even alarming since underage teenagers have access to illicit drugs. According to research, drug abuse and addiction are responsible for over 750,000 deaths per year worldwide (“Our World in Data”, 2022). Accordingly, I have chosen Ukraine and Russia for this discussion as they are also affected by drug abuse. Our assignment writing help is at affordable prices to students of all academic levels and academic disciplines.
In Russia and Ukraine, illicit drugs are used by the same age groups, mainly students. The common drug used in Ukraine is opium poppy straw extract, while in Russia, it is cannabis and heroin. Students have little to no income, and most of them take student loans, which leads to drug dealing habits to survive and pay off the student loans. Consecutively, students undergo depression and peer pressure, leading them to take drugs as a distraction.
When it comes to gender, in both Ukraine and Russia, both genders take drugs, but males are the most affected. Women may undergo many hardships during addiction since they experience domestic violence and are denied children custody, healthcare services, and social support under drug policies, which are human rights violations (Kontautaite et al., 2018). Women have higher chances of going to the emergency room or fatally overdosing due to substance abuse (Recovery, 2022).
Finally, according to acquired data, Ukrainians prefer cheaper drugs hence, the use of opium poppy straw and marijuana is growing popular among teenagers. In Ukraine, the percentage of drug addict teenagers is 60%. More registered illicit drug abuse people in Russia are more than half a million. In both countries, illicit drug abuse also increases the rate of HIV/AIDS infections due to sharing needles. In conclusion, several similarities have been observed between the two countries: the most affected age group is teenagers, and drug abuse causes socioeconomic problems and leads to the dangers of contracting diseases like HIV/AIDS.
References
Our World in Data. Our World in Data. (2022). Retrieved 22 March 2022, from https://ourworldindata.org/.
Kontautaite, A., Matyushina-Ocheret, D., Plotko, M., Golichenko, M., Kalvet, M., & Antonova, L. (2018). Study of human rights violations faced by women who use drugs in Estonia. Harm Reduction Journal, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-018-0259-1
Recovery, P. (2022). Home Page. Addiction Center. Retrieved 22 March 2022, from https://www.addictioncenter.com/.
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Question
Please reflect on these resources and respond to the following question prompts in your initial post:
Which national drug use or addiction data did you review in your two countries, and what stood out to you in your findings? For example, how do these countries differ with respect to drug use and gender? What about age or income? Offer a reasoned explanation for each of the statistics that you cite. Drawing on the Kontautaite et al. and Lozano-Verduzco et al. readings, explore the human rights implications for women with addiction, in general, and in your two countries. For example, are women in these international contexts more subjected to poor health outcomes, domestic violence, and poverty? Explain in as much detail as you can.
In your initial post, be sure to explore what demography, economic, or cultural differences might be affecting your two countries’ drug use or addiction characteristics.