The discovery and treatment of juvenile drug use in post -World War II Los Angeles

Juvenile drug use in Los Angeles both climbed and transformed in radical ways during the post-World War II era. While marijuana use was increasing among boys in 1950, juveniles were popping barbiturates or goofballs (such as Seconal and Nembutal) and amphetamines (such as Benzedrine and Dexedrine) by 1960; a smaller but growing number of boys were injecting heroin. Moreover, "glue huffing" by juveniles seemed to emerge overnight.;The dissertation first engages the transitions in patterns of drug use by juveniles from the late 1940s to the early 1960s, focusing on how a range of stakeholders both interpreted and responded to the rise in juvenile drug use. This inquiry is followed by analysis of the youth themselves and court intervention into their lives.;I first examine drug-using juveniles' family, school, and community characteristics. I then analyze boys' patterns of drug use, looking at such variables as length of use, age of first use, and the nature of the drug-related behaviors themselves. From there, I turn to an analysis of "pathways to discovery" – how did drug-using juveniles come to the attention of the police and juvenile court? – from multiple vantage points, arguing that a loose network of public and private groups had taken shape whose new mission was to expose, tackle, and treat juvenile drug use.;The dissertation concludes with an analysis of juvenile court decision making. I explore how three clusters of variables – family and community characteristics, boys' individual background history, and boys' diverse patterns of drug use – shaped the court's responses to these boys, focusing particularly on the court's sentencing decisions.;This dissertation charts the explosive growth of drug use by juveniles in the 1950s – and the responses during the 1950s and early 1960s – from a range of perspectives, including those of local and state officials, school personnel, parent and student groups, law enforcement, Los Angeles Juvenile Court, and drug using boys themselves. It employs both quantitative and qualitative analysis of a wide range of historical data, including juvenile court case files, interviews with juveniles, newspapers and periodicals, government publications, and archival sources.