Description

Drug abuse is a global problem; 5.6% of the global population aged 15–64 years used drugs
at least once during 2016 (Nation, U. World Drug, 2018) The usage of drugs among
younger people has been shown to be higher than that among older people for most drugs.
Drug abuse is also on the rise in many ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)
countries, especially among young males between 15 and 30 years of age. The increased
burden due to drug abuse among adolescents and young adults was shown by the Global
Burden of Disease (GBD) study in 2013 (Degenhardt et al., 2016). About 14% of the total
health burden in young men is caused by alcohol and drug abuse. Younger people are also
more likely to die from substance use disorders (Ritchie, and Roser, 2019), and cannabis is
the drug of choice among such users (Holm et al., 2014).
Adolescents are the group of people most prone to addiction (Luikinga et al., 2018). The
critical age of initiation of drug use begins during the adolescent period, and the maximum
usage of drugs occurs among young people aged 18–25 years old. During this period,
adolescents have a strong inclination toward experimentation, curiosity, susceptibility to peer
pressure, rebellion against authority, and poor self-worth, which makes such individuals
vulnerable to drug abuse. During adolescence, the basic development process generally
involves changing relations between the individual and the multiple levels of the context
within which the young person is accustomed. Variation in the substance and timing of these
relations promotes diversity in adolescence and represents sources of risk or protective
factors across this life period (Ismail et al., 2015). All these factors are crucial to helping
young people develop their full potential and attain the best health in the transition to
adulthood. Abusing drugs impairs the successful transition to adulthood by impairing the
development of critical thinking and the learning of crucial cognitive skills. Adolescents who
abuse drugs are also reported to have higher rates of physical and mental illness and reduced
overall health and well-being (Hamidullah et al., 2020).
The absence of protective factors and the presence of risk factors predispose adolescents to
drug abuse. Some of the risk factors are the presence of early mental and behavioral health
problems, peer pressure, poorly equipped schools, poverty, poor parental supervision and
relationships, a poor family structure, a lack of opportunities, isolation, gender, and
accessibility to drugs (Somani et al., 2016). The protective factors include high self-esteem,
religiosity, grit, peer factors, self-control, parental monitoring, academic competence, anti-
drug use policies, and strong neighborhood attachment (Drabble et al., 2016).