This series of posts is about drugs and young girls. 

We aren’t suggesting that anyone should ignore the issues of boys and drugs -- boys certainly have potential to abuse drugs at an early age. But too often people think of drugs as a boys-only problem. And it is important to recognize that drug use is also an issue with unique consequences among young girls.

So, maybe you have asked yourself “What can parents do?”

A report from the Office of National Drug Control Policy lists several suggestions. Research shows that parents are the most important influence in their daughters’ decisions about drug use. So here are some recommendations for parents of young girls:

Boys certainly have potential issues with drug use at an early age but for this blog belongs to a series of posts dedicated to describing drug use issues among young girls.

A previous blog looked at girls and drugs, and another blog examined how drugs impair judgment and can influence the sexual decisions of young girls. Both of these posts noted that many people tend to consider drug use among kids to be a boys' issue, but evidence shows that girls are even more at risk in some ways.

A previous post looked at the important issue of girls and drug, noting that people often tend to think that drugs are a bigger problem for young boys. However, there is now evidence that girls are at even greater risk for certain drug-related behaviors.

So we know that drug use impairs young people's judgment. But how does this impairment lead to specific problems related to sex. For many parents this can be an extremely sensitive subject.

Some adults have the general sense that substance abuse among youngsters is more common for boys than girls. In many cases they may be right, but what do we really know about girls and drugs?