Cannabis Misuse Effects on Wellbeing

Cannabis Misuse Effects on Wellbeing How does cannabis misuse impact on the health and well-being of young people between the ages of 11-17 in England? Introduction The major focus of this research will be to explore how the misuse of cannabis can affect the health and wellbeing of young people in England and who are between the ages of 11 – 17 years. Gaining understanding on the impacts on the impacts on health and well being of these young people within the age group will help the researcher to make informed and evidence based recommendations on the appropriate health promotion interventions to tackle the health issue. Therefore, the research will involve an extensive review of journals that have specific relevance to the cannabis misuse among young people between the ages 11 – 17; and the review will be followed by critical discussions on the key themes that will arise from the results of the literature review. Also the discussions will be drawn from the activities of a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) that is involved in tackling cannabis misuse among young people in the UK. Background and Rationale for Study Cannabis is from flowering plant known as cannabis sativa and it produces both euphoria and reduces anxiety (Naftali et al, 2013; Moore, 2007). The drug can be used occasionally by individuals without causing significant social or mental problems but heavy users or addicts may experience anxiety and disturbed sleep after withdrawal from its use (Schaub et al, 2013; Moffat et al, 2013). In the year 2009, the UK Government reclassified cannabis from being Class C drug to Class B making it illegal for anyone in possession of supply quantity (Health and Social Care Information Centre, 2011). The reclassifying of cannabis represents Government intervention to discourage poor lifestyle choices especially among young people who have been found to be indulged in cannabis abuse and also to promote healthy lifestyles. The 2011 data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre revealed that the â€Å"prevalence of young adults ever having taken drugs has decreased from 48.6% in 1996 to 40.1% in 2010/11; and in 2009/10 lifetime prevalence was 40.7%. The number receiving help for primary cannabis use has increased by more than 4,000 since 2005/06 to 13,123 in 2009/10. The number of under- 18s treated for problem drug use associated with primary use of heroin and crack is 530, less than half the number in 2005/06† (Health and Social Care Information Centre, 2011). Furthermore the data reveals that number of young people receiving help for primary cannabis use has increased by more than 4,000 since 2005/06 to 13,123 in 2009/2010. This increase in the number of young people receiving help for cannabis use is a major concern and this has prompted the decision to choose this topic. The concern here is that cannabis the misuse of cannabis health risks and which will widen the gap in the inequalities in the health of the population in the UK. According to Moffat et al (2013) the use of cannabis affects the nervous system and causes anxiety and this has the potential to affect the health and wellbeing of the individual in the long term especially where the body metabolism is not able to resist those effects. Another rationale for choosing to research on cannabis misuse among the young people of this age group is that, though there is recorded decrease in the use of cannabis based on the data by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (2011), th e 2013 report shows that â€Å"as in previous years cannabis was the most widely used drug among pupils in 2012 with 7.5% reporting they had taken it in the last year† (Health and Social Care Information Centre, 2014). The data suggests that the cannabis use among pupils is becoming a lifestyle and that if appropriate and adequate behavioural interventions are not implemented to cause a significant change of behaviour, this lifestyle may become a way of life of the 7.5% of the population of pupils. The wider implication of this unhealthy lifestyle is that the 7.5% of pupils may likely experience inequalities in health and also exclude them from maximising potentials. Health inequality simply means lack of uniformity in health or differences in health and this is often caused by various factors among which is the lifestyle of the population (Naidoo and Wills, 2011). This clearly suggests that the social distribution of health is linked to the differences in the risk behaviours of the individuals and that a change of risky behaviour reduces the differences in health (Naidoo and Wills, 2011). Aim and Objectives of the Research The aim of the research is examine the effectiveness of the interventions in reducing cannabis misuse among young people in England. To achieve this aim, the following 4 objectives have been set: To examine the prevalence of cannabis misuse among young people in England To explore the implication of cannabis misuse on the health and wellbeing of young people in England To identify a relevant organisation, justify its election and critically analyse one of its programme intervention in relation to cannabis misuse among young people in England To identify and critically discuss the effectiveness of interventions in responding to cannabis misuse in England. Literature Search Strategy The literatures will be searched electronically. The electronic search will involve the use online subject- specific databases to assess academic library. The use of the electronic to search literatures is due to the argument that computerised databases contain huge subject indexes of journal articles from which the research can choose subject-specific articles (Aveyard, 2010). The electronic databases from which journals will be sources from are PubMed; CINAHL; and others. The inclusion and exclusion strategy will be used because it will enable the researcher to identify the specific literatures that will be helpful in answering the research question and achieving the four research objectives (Aveyard, 2010). The first instance in the literature is to identify keywords that capture the essence of the research. The key words that will be used are: statistics of cannabis misuse in England; cannabis and young people aged 11-17 years; health risks and cannabis; and cannabis misuse and U K government interventions. Both quantitative and qualitative articles will be selected. The quantitative articles will include randomised controlled trials, cohort and case controls and cross-sectional studies (surveys/questionnaires); and qualitative studies will include grounded theory, ethnography and action research. Furthermore, only articles written within the past 10 years, that is, 2004 to 2014 will be included and articles that do not meet this criterion no matter how relevant and specific will be excluded. Ethics and anti-oppressive practice considerations It is important for the researcher to observe the main ethical issues relevant to the research process. This is because Bowling (2009) explains that those who agree to participate in the research process should be protected in relation to their privacy and manipulation and as such these participants should be shielded from any form of harm. The main ethical forms of protection for the participants are in terms of confidentiality; anonymity and informed consent (Bowling, 2009). Confidentiality and anonymity are the protections for the participants so that the information that they provide are not related to them and that their identities are not revealed. Informed consent is the protection which ensures that the participant is given appropriate and adequate information about the research topic and to seek his or her consent to enable an informed decision as to whether to participate or not to participate (Bowling, 2009). These ethical issues are mostly appropriate when carrying out pr imary research and not secondary research which does not involve contact with research participants (Bowling, 2009). Also the research will not be affected by other ethical principles of justice, non-maleficence, veracity and fidelity because it is a secondary research. However, this researcher will comply with the relevant ethical issues on secondary research. Therefore, the ethical issues such as informed consent, anonymity and confidentiality will not be considered since the research will not involve primary research. However, the research will comply with the requirements by the Internal Ethics Committee when it comes to plagiarism by ensuring that proper referencing is carried out so that the work of others will not be represented as those of this research. Research structure The research will be arranged in 4 chapters The chapter 1 will give a brief background of the research and the aims and objectives. The chapter 2 will analyse the results of the literatures that will be included from the literature search. Chapter 3 will briefly analyse the interventions by the UK Government and a chosen Non Governmental Agency (NGO). The analysis will be followed by critical discussion using relevant theories of Health Promotion to evaluate the extent to which the interventions have been effective in achieving the desired objective of health and well being for young people between the ages 11 – 17 years. The final part of the research will entail writing a reflective essay to critically evaluate what I have learnt through the processes of the essay and the relevant of the learning to my future career as a health and social care professional. Project Time Table Given below is the timetable for the project. This timetable is flexible considering the fact that there may be changes in the University timetable and also the constraints in getting feedback from the supervisor who has very tight academic schedule References Aveyard, H. (2010) Doing a literature review in health and Social Care. A practical guide. New York, NY Open University Bowling A (2009) Research Methods in Health Investigating health service 3rd edition, Open University Press, England McGraw-Hill Moore TH, Zammit S, Lingford-Hughes A, Barnes TR, Jones PB, Burke M, Lewis G (2007). Cannabis use and risk of psychotic or affective mental health outcomes : a systematic review. Lancet 370, 319–328. Moffat BM, Jenkins EK, Johnson JL; Weeding out the information: an ethnographic approach to exploring how young people make sense of the evidence on cannabis. Harm Reduct J. 2013 Nov 27;10(1):34. Naidoo J. and Will J. (2011) Public Health and Health Promotion: Foundation for Health Promotion. Bailliere Tindall, Elsevier Naftali, T,Bar-L. Schleider. L,Dotan. I,Lansky E.P,Sklerovsky B. F, and Konikoff F.M. (2013) Cannabis induces a clinical response in patients with Crohns disease: a prospective placebo-controlled study. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol.2013 Oct; 11(10):1276-1280.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2013.04.034. Epub 2013 May 4. Schaub MP, Haug S, Wenger A, et al; Can reduce the effects of chat-counseling and web-based self-help, Web-based self-help alone and a waiting list control program on cannabis use in problematic cannabis users: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry. 2013 Nov 14; 13(1):305. Health and Social Care Information Centre (2011) Statistics on Drug Misuse: England, Available at:www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB12994/drug-misu-eng-2013-rep.pdf. Accessed on 04/12/2014 1

Just Another Veterans Day Essay -- Personal Narrative Essay Example

Just Another Veteran's Day    My grandmother and I stopped in DC before we met up with my parents to go on a trip. The fact that we were there on Veteran's Day was only a coincidence. True to my historically disinterested generation, the crowds of people as we left the hotel to walk towards the mall perplexed me. Only momentarily, of course; the hundreds of predominantly middle-aged men, defiantly strutting, proudly adorning their wheelchairs and various prosthetics, required little introduction and less explanation. Amidst them I, not yet 15, variably slithered with ignorance, the inexperience of war; and alongside, my Belgian-bred grandmother, veteran to a war these men could not know.    Uncharacteristically, I fell prey to tourist trappings: photographing the Lincoln Memorial, vainly attempting to hunt down and shoot the one angle of the Reflecting Pool that no one, in the history of history, had yet to see. Others swarmed... ...e there than I; their lack of respect condemned them to a hell in which I do not particularly believe. In an attempt to capture what we all saw but were unable to comprehend, they obliterated the very purpose of this apotheosis. These soldiers, soulfully searching the black mirror for a prosthetic for their soul, their sanity; a glimmer of sense in an event that defined madness: they deserved silence, solitude, peace. Instead, capitalism and greed spat in their face.   

Conformity and Obedience Essay

Compliance means doing what other people in our social standing do in our daily lives. Most people, in most social groups, conform in everyday things like speech, dress codes, eating habits etc. This kind of conformity is known as ‘’Social control’’- the numerous pressure as individuals grow turns them from babies into members of our society. The main agencies of social control are the family, the peer group, the media, religion, employment and the law. All of these encourage conformity of one kind or another. The conformity types of behaviour are called ‘’social norms’’ Social norms; these are the normal types of behaviour in normal social groups * Age groups * Colleges and classes in college * People of same social economic background * Women/Men * Ethnic groups The role of self-esteem in Conformity; Low self-esteem is linked to feelings of insecurity. Research has tended to show that people with low self-esteem, or low feelings of security, are most likely to be the people that would conform. It is believed that those with low self-esteem can increase their sense of personal security if they belong to a group and adopting its norms because there is ‘’safety in numbers’’ Self-esteem is related to how a person has been brought up, academical performance and to economic and family background. The relevance of conformity in the uniformed public services: The uniformed public services encourage conformity among their members in various ways: Uniform and rank structures, working in teams, espirit de corps, and by having social clubs, sports clubs, and other activities which encourage individuals to mix and socialise outside working hours. The message from the uniformed public services is that conformity is a good thing for their image and for the work of each service. Conformity can be used to be a strong bonding force in the uniformed public services, but if it becomes to strong then this can sometimes lead to problems. In a diverse csociety people are different, and they are usuall quite proud of their differeences, it is what makes them unique. People criticse the public services because they feel that to many of the services have too many white males. In general they are good at their jobs, but they tend to be full of themselves and have that â€Å"bullish† attitude. This means that they have become less welcoming to the female or ethnic minority recruits, aswell as gays and lesbians. The feeling is that these men have been conforming one another so that they exclude everbody else and this they hope will put off new recruits. Obedience basically means the act of carrying out an order As a practice, it means that orders are carried out regularly and that these orders are carried out with dependence. As a quality, it is a habit that people develop that allows them to follow orders without delay and without complaint. Obedience differs from conformity. When someone conforms, they do something without being asked to do it. E. g. An officer who would wear their uniform on duty. Where as, when someone obeys, they do what they are told to. E. g. A soldier following an order to shoot somebody. Following orders; In thte uniformed public services being able to follow orders quickly and promptly is an absolute must. This does not mean that employees are robots and do exactly what they are told all the time, but the short of it is whenever an order has to be obeyed then it has to be obeyed. Due to this reason, people who are not able or prepared to follow an order, are not likely to be employed in the uniformed public services. Even though employees in the uniformed public services have an obligation to follow orders, the people giving the orders have an obligation to give orders that are reasonable and are justified. Orders are part of the general drive towards discipline orders help to give the uniform services structure and keep everything intact. Conscious and unconscious obedience; Those who have very little experience in following orders join a uniformed public service may have problems following orders and may have to make themselves do so. Though after a while it may become very natural to them and they just get used to obeying to orders. The move from having conscious to unconscious obedience. In order to be a public servant the uniformed public services stress that a servant has both conscious and unconscious bedience. the first so work id done in a discipline and organized manner. The second in emergencies were instinct and instant response is needed. Unconscious obedience is not the same as blind obedience. Compliance; Compliance is doing something that other people want you to do. Though sometimes like â€Å"compliance with common practices† this is seen as conformity. In other contexts such as â€Å"compliance with an order† this will mean obedience. Depending on the context, compliance can have different meanings, compliance could be willing or it could obedience in which the person is happy to follow orders. Some feel that compliance is forced upon people. Compliance also means to obedient to rules, regulations and laws. Within the uniform services willing, cheerful obedience is good because it suggests that the team is happy and working well. Status as a factor in obedience The same is in the uniformed public services as in life, if an order is giving it is more likely to be obeyed by someone if the person giving the order is of a higher status. In the uniformed services status usually will mean rank, and orders will most of the time come from the higher ranks to the lower ranks. Those at lower ranks only really get to suggest ideas. Though someone times exceptions will occur to the norm of higher telling lower what to do. For example if someone is an expert in an area they will be given temporary authority. Therefore for that short period the expert is the boss. This might be seen in a road traffic accident where the police would be the one with the higher status until the vehicles become on fire then the Fire service become the bosses because they are the experts. Influences These factors can change the nature of the orders or how they are received by individuals. Fear – This is fear of punishment, of loss of rank, physical beating or of peer-group ridicule. All of these may contribute to people obeying orders that they would not normally obey. Fear of a person (e. g. a commanding officer) should not be the motivating factor for obeying orders. If an individual is following orders due to fear this would suggest that there is some form of harrasment, poor team relationships or levels of understanding are bad. These are potential serious problems iin the Uniformed Public services. The likes of bullying can be a serious problem and can face people with leaving, driven to depression or even taking their own lives. Reward- Rewards are used as an incentive to follow orders, but should only take the form of appraisal, and not gifts. Giving rewards that would be considered obvious lays those handing them out to be seen as having favourites or corrupted. As everyone is to be considered equals favouritism in the Uniformed Public Service is not something that is illegal. Love- Love can sometimes mean intense admiration for some. For e. g. Soldiers may get very close to each during hard times and begin to consider people like a family member. This may also love their country. This type of love can make people be highly obedient and can sometimes lead to self-sacrifice. Sexual love or falling in love can happen in the uniformed public services, and can be seen as bad for obedience as love can blind people. This is why women were not allowed in the armed forces and so were homosexuals until 2000. It was felt that love undermined service discipline. Respect- Within the uniformed public services there are two types of respect: * Respect due to rank- e. g. saluting a senior officer * Personal respect for individuals. Both act as a stimulus for obedience and conformity and do so without undermining authority.

Analysis Of Sandra Cisneros Twelve And Ray Bradbury s...

Characters. They are the foundation of a storyline. However, what is the significance of having realistic characters? Authors construct a story with realistic characters to enable readers in familiarizing themselves with the character. In Sandra Cisneros’ Eleven and Ray Bradbury’s The Veldt, both authors reveal realistic characters by using descriptive writing with the use of literary devices, utilizing dialogue that reflects their young ages and developing the characters by encountering various types of narrations. The authors use realistic characters to provide a better reflection about the coming of age as a theme. Writers utilize descriptive writing to create a clear depiction of people, objects or events by emphasizing important†¦show more content†¦He [George] could feel it on his neck, still, like a hot paw†¦And the smell of blood.† (Bradbury 3). The author uses a simile to compare the heat of the â€Å"sun† to a â€Å"hot paw† in the African veldt which emphasizes the positive thoughts of the children. The â€Å"smell of blood† refers to death, which transitions into an unexpected thought from children. Bradbury uses a technique called foreshadowing by contrasting the positive thoughts and negative thoughts of the children. This explains the variation in the age of Peter as his thoughts begin to expand. Therefore, descriptive writing with the use of literacy devices reflect the overall theme; coming of age to create realistic characters. Authors use dialogues as a technique to display an important conversation between two characters or more. Realistic characters would comprise dialogues consisting apparent speech manners of a human being. Through dialogues, characters can interact in a way that could reveal expositional information (age) about a character which seems to be realistic. For example, Cisneros exaggerates the nervousness in Rachel, when she says, â€Å"That’s not, I don’t, you’re not†¦Not mine† (Cisneros 2) after a classmate declares that the red sweater belongs to Rachel. The writer uses an ellipsis; a pause after every few words to emphasize the idea of Rachel not being able to speak up for herself, which allows the reader to fill in their own insights about the character. Rachel endeavors to say â€Å"that’s not†