Addiction Roulette
If a health inspector discovered that there were toxic substances behind the walls of your middle and high school that would, over time, result in chronic, debilitating diseases for anywhere from 9 to 32 percent of the students who came into contact with them — and lead to a premature death for some of them — can you imagine the public uproar that would ensue?
According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science, 32 percent of people who try tobacco become dependent, as do 23 percent of those who try heroin, 17 percent who try cocaine, 15 percent who try alcohol and 9 percent who try marijuana.
Other ramifications of substance use - from brain damage to vandalism to fights to forced sex to automobile accidents - are well known. And other studies show that the earlier a person tries one of these substances, the more likely he or she will become addicted.