ABSTRACT
Thise chapter discusses the primary prevention and reduction of drug use by Black adolescents. The discussion is framed in the perspective that although there have been and are a multitude of approaches to primary prevention of drug abuse, the American family as a vehicle of prevention has been underutilized and minimally acknowledged. The National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse identified five categories of drug using behavior, each having unique potential for the user's dysfunctioning and the potential purpose of preventive effort levels. These categories or levels of use are: experimental; recreational; circumstantial; intensive and compulsive. Preventive or interventive efforts must clearly identify goals and objectives in relation to a specific level of drug use. Varied studies of addicts generally found that the onset of drug addiction for Blacks occurred between the ages of 14 and 19 years.
