| Abstract: | Drug addiction and drug trafficking continue to be a major problem during adolescence and a primary cause of significant problems in adulthood. For low-income, urban, African American youths, these problems are compounded by environmental factors-such as communities that are depleted of resources, schools that are inadequately funded, family members who are unemployed-and other physical, legal, spiritual, social and psychological factors. These ecological factors have the potential to impinge significantly on the lives of those who become involved with drug use and sales. The problems resulting from these issues not only affect the individual but also family members, communities and the nation. This paper examines the patterns of drug addiction and trafficking among African American youths in poverty, with an eye toward answering the following questions: What is drug trafficking? What is the youths perception of drug addiction? What role does drug trafficking play in subsequent drug use? What is the nature and role of ecological factors, such as poverty, in the interaction between drug addiction and drug trafficking? How do these issues reflect on developmental theories of addiction? |
