ERIC Number: EJ1420991
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2164-3989
Available Date: N/A
Diondre Also Has Bad Days: Cannabis Use and the Criminalization of Black Youth
Professional Counselor, v13 n4 p433-447 2024
Black, school-aged youth may experience socioeconomic, psychological, and emotional difficulties that affect their mental health, leading to maladaptive ways of coping, such as cannabis use. Instead of getting treatment and support to help them manage their stressors in positive ways, Black youth often receive punitive school practices, including referrals to the juvenile justice system. Counselors who work with school-aged youth are likely to encounter many Black youth and can thus either be instrumental to their psychological development or inadvertently impede their well-being with over-pathologization and criminalization of their cannabis use. In this article, the author reflects on a particular experience he had working with a Black youth and how it influenced his cultural competency and development as a counselor. The author also discusses the socioeconomic landscape and psychological experience of Black youth and their rationale for cannabis use. The article concludes with implications for professional counselors.
Descriptors: African Americans, Youth, Marijuana, African American Students, Racism, Social Bias, Counselor Qualifications, Counselor Role, Cultural Awareness, Mental Health, At Risk Persons, Well Being, Stress Variables, Environmental Influences, Racial Differences, Trauma, Suicide
National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. and Affiliates. 3 Terrace Way, Greensboro, NC 27403. Tel: 336-547-0607; Fax: 336-547-0017; e-mail: TCPjournal@nbcc.org; Web site: http://tpcjournal.nbcc.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A