Introduction
Social work is an important area of activity that helps many people improve their well-being and social opportunities. Therefore, as a social worker in Montgomery County, MD, I must worry and look for the best ways to make acute social problems obsolete. The County Executive can influence various drug enforcement departments and agencies significantly. In addition, enforcement and enforcement of drug-related policies should also be within their jurisdiction. In this regard, they must consider Montgomery social workers’ concerns.
Social Issues of Montgomery County
The seriousness of the social problem of drug use by teenagers in Montgomery County is indicated by the fact that these people need specialized psychological help and social protection. Daniulaityte et al. (2020) show in their study that drug use among teenagers in the county is rising. This indicates a high level of social insecurity that should be improved by introducing appropriate policies and regulations.
The dangerous trend not only points to the current drug problem but could do great harm to the prospects of young people. This will be due to the influence of drugs on their psychological and mental component. Thus, this social problem can affect the community’s future development in many ways, affecting all social institutions such as schools, universities, and families.
Current Policies
Currently, there are policies in the district that are aimed at combating the identified problem. For example, the Substance Abuse Prevention Policy and School-Based Prevention Programs aim to reduce drug use problems. These policies are predominantly focused on educational methods to achieve impact. However, as the data presented by Banerjee et al. (2021) on the rise in teen drug use, these regulations do not have a significant effect. In this regard, there is a need for additional regulation of this issue and a possible change in strategies or their complete reform.
Proposed Solutions
In connection with the identified problem, I, as an experienced social worker, can suggest some initiatives that could become an effective policy with your assistance. First, an important step is to increase funding for youth education programs. Since, at the moment, these policies do not appear in their full effectiveness, they require significant expansion and refinement.
For this, a necessary aspect is collecting information in the district regarding the most challenging age groups within the adolescent category. This will help identify possible further, more targeted steps and impacts that could be beneficial. In this way, school and community programs can have a much more qualified and targeted effect that will lead to results. At the same time, this strategy does not require large cash injections but can pay off with benefits for stakeholders such as adolescents, their parents, and society.
Another possible solution to the problem is to increase access to anonymous treatment services for adolescents. The fight against drug addiction is a serious step for people who have fallen under this influence. If they are aware of the problem and want to get rid of it, then the task of our district is to provide them with all possible assistance.
For this, the best option is to create a specialized center to provide all the necessary services to help drug addicts. However, such a decision may require allocating significant resources from the district budget. An alternative initiative could be the introduction of specialists into existing schools and universities. Thus, they can deal with teenagers without isolating them from society. This may provide the necessary reprieve to build a full-fledged hospital infrastructure in the future.
Joint public cooperation aimed at uniting the efforts of schools, parents, law enforcement agencies, and medical institutions can also become an important policy. Such a solution seems to be the most profitable in the temporal context since it will require insignificant funding for the budget. At the same time, the consequences for stakeholders can be as positive as possible, taking into account their ultimate needs in establishing a prosperous community.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I implore the County Executive to act as efficiently and quickly as possible in order to take action to correct the existing problem. Their authority to promote and oversee community initiatives can help to significantly improve the community environment by helping teenagers get rid of drug addiction problems. This issue is relevant and can negatively affect the future of the district if left unattended.
References
Banerjee, S., Khadem, N. K., Kabir, M. M., & Jeihani, M. (2021). Driver Behavior Post Cannabis Consumption: A Driving Simulator Study in Collaboration with Montgomery County Maryland. arXiv preprint arXiv:2112.12026. Web.
Daniulaityte, R., Silverstein, S. M., Crawford, T. N., Martins, S. S., Zule, W., Zaragoza, A. J., & Carlson, R. G. (2020). Methamphetamine use and its correlates among individuals with opioid use disorder in a Midwestern US city. Substance use & misuse, 55(11), 1781-1789. Web.