Illegal drug use is one of the most common problems that affect Americans every day. Joyce B. Shannon (2010) found that “more than 35 million people used illicit drugs or abused prescription medications in 2007” (p. 11). The impact can be seen in communities of all types and in low- and high-income people. Drug use is the root cause of many problems in our society. Joyce B. Shannon (2010) referenced a 2004 survey that found "32% of state prisoners and 26% of federal prisoners" admitted that they were currently serving prison time for offenses committed while they were “under the influence of drugs.” (p. 102). The reasoning behind this problem will be explained from a psychological, sociological and anthropological perspective, including the benefit of an interdisciplinary perspective in understanding the cause of drug use and its effects on society.The psychological perspective on drug use questionAccording to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (2010), "Scientists estimate that genetic factors account for between 40 and 60 percent of a person's vulnerability to addiction" (p. 8). This statistic highlights the importance of an individual's genetic makeup in relation to addictive substances (p. 8). There are other trends that are leading to increased levels of addiction. NIDA (2010) also found that experimenting with drugs at a younger age can lead to an increased risk of more intense and harmful drug abuse (p. 9). Finally, NIDA explains that one of the scariest ways to increase risk is through the continuous method of delivering drugs into the body (p. 9). NIDA (2010) found that if the user has smoked or injected a drug, the user will have increased their “addiction potential” (p. 9). ...... middle of paper ......ences (Chapter 6). Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=11&hid=6 &sid=637e49c6-a25a-433c-a0cb-18065c5e7e1b%40sessionmgr13Hirschman, EC, (September 1, 1992) . Consciousness of dependence: towards a general theory of compulsive consumption. Journal of Consumer Research, 19(2), doi: 10.1086/209294National Institute on Drug Abuse, (August 2010). Drugs, Brains and Behavior: The Science of Addiction. Retrieved from http://www.nida.nih.gov/scienceofaddiction/sciofaddiction.pdfSanders, B., Lankenau, S.E., Jackson-Bloom, J., & Hathazi, D. (2008). Multiple drug use and polydrug use among homeless homeless youth. Journal of ethnicity in SubstanceAbuse, 7(1), retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=15&hid=104&sid=5a5338b2-d34e-4e52-9e55-bdde65b8435a % 40sessionsmgr111