...Final Paper – Illegal Drug Use ITT Technical Institute - Boise Introduction My position is that illegal drug use is harmful and dangerous. I hope to show in this paper some of the many physical effects illegal drug use can have on the human body. Second, I will show how the use of illegal drugs impacts families in general. Lastly, I will cover the effects of illegal drug use on society as a whole. Background I understand the counter position; others would say that the three most dangerous drugs are drugs that are currently legal. I agree with this statement somewhat, but it is actually the illegal use of the legal drug that is so harmful in this case. So many people and the media focus on illegal drug use and the effects of them that they totally ignore the problems associated with the illegal use of legal drugs and the many problems associated with this type of drug abuse. I believe that the illegal use of prescription drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol, are just as harmful as the drugs that the Federal Government has deemed to be an “illegal drug”. "The misuse of pain medication is probably one of our greatest drug addictions in America right now," Mike Gimbel, a drug expert from St. Joseph Medical Center, said in 2011 (Gimbel, 2011). Another drug that is sometimes used illegally or abused has been around for decades. "Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in our country. I mean, we have over half a million people a year that die as a result of smoking...
Words: 976 - Pages: 4
...Illegal Drugs Kara Easler COM/220 July 11, 2012 Barbara Plyler Illegal Drugs is something you hear in the news on a daily basis. You hear about how some should be legal and how they should not be legalized. They are either talking about Marijuana, Cocaine or the number of illegal drugs that are out there in the world. Illegal Drugs affect everybody from young kids to grown up adults. Sometimes we see it ruin families and lives of people we care for. This essay is going to go over why drugs should stay illegal and ways we can help people stay off the drugs. First of all let’s talk about some of the drugs and what they are about. The first drug that is going to be talk about is Marijuana. They are trying to legalize that in every state for medical use. There are people who don’t want to see that happen. They want people to realize the effects it has one people. Some of the effects it has on people are “within a few minutes after inhaling marijuana smoke, an individual's heart begins beating more rapidly, the bronchial passages relax and become enlarged, and blood vessels in the eyes expand, making the eyes look red. The heart rate, normally 70 to 80 beats per minute, may increase by 20 to 50 beats per minute or, in some cases, even double. This effect can be greater if other drugs are taken with marijuana.” (Why illegal drugs should stay illegal). Well that could cause a person to have heartache, which is not good. It also gives you a natural high that makes you hungry...
Words: 2145 - Pages: 9
...Non Technical Executive Summary: Police Drug Seizures Effects on Admission into Drug Treatment Facilities The United States executes yearly reports on illegal drug activity. These reports contain statistical information on supply estimates of four major illegal drugs (cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine). The data retrieved from police seizures on illegal drugs constitute important information to formulate policy, execution, and monitoring. Estimations have been difficult to develop due to unreliability of the nature of drug production and trafficking. Credibility has been sustained due to new approaches developed within the last decade. Evolution of methodologies due to the inadequacy of methods in the past which produced contradiction based upon supported evidence presented in the United States. Methodologies have been confirmed as more useful for long term changes as year to year variation have made conclusions inadequate (Cala, 2012). The Office of National Drug Control Policy sponsored research to update previously published estimates of illegal drug availability on the streets based on both demand and supply data. The demand-based methodology estimates the magnitude of drugs by calculating consumption based on surveys of drug use and frequency. Drug Availability Estimates in the United States (DAEUS), estimates the magnitude of drugs based on supply indicators such as potential production estimates and seizures (Cala, 2012). The studies contribute to prevention...
Words: 611 - Pages: 3
...Illegal Drugs Informative Speech Introduction: Marijuana, cocaine, heroin, PCP, speed, shrooms, crystal meth, and angel dust are all types of illegal drugs. What is an illegal drug? An illegal drug is something and often a substance that causes addiction, habituation, or a marked change in consciousness. Body: I. Illegal Drugs The use of illegal drugs in the United States is considered by some to be the biggest problem in our society. Over 40% of high school seniors use some kind of illegal drug, and in a recent 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse showed that the three most common drugs are Marijuana used by 11,100,000 people, Cocaine used by 1,500,000 people, and inhalants that is used by 991,000 people nationwide. A. Marijuana 1. Marijuana is commonly referred to as Pot, Mary Jane, Chronic, Weed, and Reefer. 2. Marijuana is a product of the hemp plant and contains the chemical THC that is the most potent of over 400 chemicals found in marijuana and mainly affects the brain. a. Marijuana is a greenish-gray substance consisting of dried-shredded leaves and flowers from the hemp plant. 3. Most users roll it into a cigarette called a "joint", or into a cigar called a "blunt". Users may also smoke it in a water pipe referred to as a "bong" or they can eat it by mixing it into different foods called "special food". 4. Some short-term effects of marijuana include distorted perception, increased heart rate, and a loss of motor coordination...
Words: 796 - Pages: 4
...Joyce Bullock Thesis Statement and Outline What is your thesis statement? Many people use drugs, but what we don’t realize is the affects that legal and illegal drugs has on society. Is drug use ever ok? Do legal drugs pose more of a threat than illegal drugs with today’s society? It is a fact more people die from prescription drugs use than illegal drugs. You hear about drugs in social media, movies, from friends and peers. Not everything you hear is true it is up to you to decide. I. Introduction Children are taught at a young age that illegal drugs can harm you and lead you down a path of addiction. But what they don’t tell you is that legal drugs which are prescribed are just as dangerous and kill at least 106,000 people every year.(cdc.gov,2013) II. First main point legal drugs vs. illegal drugs A. Supporting details Do legal drugs pose more of a threat than illegal drugs with today’s society? 1. Subdetails 11 percent of American use prescribed drugs(cdcNovenber2100) 2. Subdetails 10,0000-20,000 Americans dies due to illegal drug use B. Supporting details Is drug use ever ok? 1. Subdetails The media paints an biased picture of legal drug use 2. Subdetails The public does not know the effects of legal drug use III. Second main point Hearing about drugs on the news, from social media, friends, family and peers A. Supporting details the media has always painted...
Words: 671 - Pages: 3
...I Introduction Trade in drugs of abuse such as cocaine, heroin and amphetamines has long been a frustrating feature of the international scene. After attempting for years to combat the drug trade on an individual or bilateral bases, nations have belatedly come to realize that coordinated international action is the only effective way to restrain the trade and, in addition, that social and other broad action is the only means to reduce incentives to participate it. A. Background of the Study Drug is, in the broadest of terms, a chemical substance that has known biological effects on humans or other animals. Foods are generally excluded from this definition, in spite of their physiological effects on animal species. In pharmacology, a drug is “a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being. Pharmaceutical drugs may be used for a limited duration, or on a regular basis for chronic disorders. Psychoactive drugs are chemical substances that affect the function of the nervous system, altering perception, mood or consciousness. Alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine are the most widely consumed psychoactive drugs worldwide. Recreational drugs are drugs that are not used for medical purpose, but are instead used for pleasure. Common recreational drugs include alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine, as well as other substances such as opiates and amphetamines. Some drugs can cause addiction and habituation...
Words: 1220 - Pages: 5
...Kimberly Artis-Pearce An Effort in Futility The creation of the “War on Drugs” has had many negative impacts on the American people, with an annual cost of $40 billion, little or no impact on illegal drug use by the youth of this country, and by adding to the fear amongst doctors for prescribing the necessary drugs to combat pain for fear of sanctions by the federal government. As C. S. Lewis once wrote, “Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” This quote by C. S. Lewis provides us with a perfect example of why the so called “war on drugs” has had horrible consequences for the public of the United States. With members of the Federal government continually trying to expand the role that the government plays in our daily lives, the drug war has provided numerous reasons for the government to intrude into the American peoples private affairs. In addition to the overwhelming amount of money that this “war” is costing the people of the United States, the government has funded its own studies and found that the number of people who do drugs on a consistent basis has not changed since the “war” began. Since the...
Words: 1962 - Pages: 8
...cheating. It is the use of drugs to gain an unfair advantage in a sporting event or competition. It is no different than cheating on a test or taking a short cut in a race. If being unfair is not enough of a reason not to use Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids, there are also numerous irreversible health hazards. Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids are illegal for several reasons including numerous health hazards and general unfairness in competition and need to continue to remain illegal. To better understand why steroids must continue to be illegal one must first know what they are. Anabolic Androgenic Steroids are a type of drugs commonly used by athletes and other...
Words: 1046 - Pages: 5
...legal. While marijuana has virtually zero deaths yet remains illegal because the government can’t profit from making it legal. Hash, tree, reefer, cannabis, gong, chronic, pot, herb and weed are a few of the common slang terms for the widely known controlled subsistence marijuana. “The term ‘marijuana’ refers to the leaves and flowering tops of the cannabis plant. Marijuana is a tobacco like substance produced by drying the leaves and flowering tops of the cannabis plant. Marijuana contains a natural chemical called THC (delta-9-tetrahydocannabinol) which gives users of the drug a ‘high’ when smoked” (What is Marijuana). Marijuana has several different effects, all of which are not severe or extremely harmful. “Some of the effects of marijuana use include increased heart rate, dryness of the mouth, reddening of the eyes, impaired motor skills and concentration, and frequent hunger” (What is Marijuana). According to Pete Guither, marijuana has been recorded to have been used as far back as 7,000 B.C.E. Its common use at the time was to weave fabrics and make rope, shortly after it was used as a recreational drug. Even though it is illegal now, in 1609 Virginia passed a law that required farmers to grow hemp (1). Marijuana should have never been made illegal. There are several reasons as to why it was made illegal, including false statements made to legislature, racist principles, and people’s misconceptions of the drug today. “In 1930, a new division in the Treasury Department...
Words: 1424 - Pages: 6
...Drug Policies and Laws CRJ 212 4/28/11 Michael Hall The use of drugs in America is a consensual crime; meaning it involves individuals who commit the crimes willingly. Consensual crime enforcement is a highly debatable topic that attempts to enforce morals in which not all people believe. Scholars debate on which policies better benefit society, whether it is legalization, decriminalization, or restriction, and each have valid arguments. This is important to an American policing standpoint because law enforcement official are the one who have to enforce these policies on a daily basis. To first understand these positions on drugs we must look at their history and effects. A society with little to no drug use is rare in human history (Barkan, 2009). Drug use has occurred throughout history, and was very common in the United States in the late 18th century (2009). Natural drugs (tobacco, marijuana, ergot funguses, coca plants, poppy plants, etc.) and manufactured drugs (ecstasy, methamphetamine, derivatives of plants listed above, etc.) both serve or attempted to serve medical purposes in order to help people. Most people use drugs at one time or another and many frequently use them; aspirin, tobacco, and caffeine are just a few common ones used. In the American society there are “good” (legal) drugs which are socially acceptable, and “bad” (illegal) drugs which are socially unacceptable. Both “good” and “bad” drugs can cause psychological and physical dependence. It is...
Words: 1209 - Pages: 5
...The Viewpoint of the Society on Medicinal Marijuana Everything in the society is changing, especially the laws. Legal and illegal drugs are everywhere in society. People, especially teens, know someone who has drugs and could easily get access to them. Drugs like marijuana are one of those easily accessible drugs. Marijuana is still one of the common drugs and is still considered illegal under the federal laws in the United States. Some states such as California have passed laws allowing marijuana legal to smoke and sell. The medical marijuana is to use for medicinal purposes and can only be prescribed by a doctor. Researchers and scientists support the use of marijuana as a medical drug. Some people like patients may view this positively, because the medical marijuana actually worked on them as they get a lot better. Despite some viewpoints in favor of the use of marijuana, it is still an unethical use of the drug, because there are still negative effects of using marijuana. Even though patients who are suffering from illness or disease and are using medical marijuana, patients viewed that it helps them feel better. With the increase of medical marijuana, the worldwide report estimates between 200 and 300 million people are now smoking marijuana (Earleywine 29). With 40% of the public using marijuana as medicine, it has changed the needs and values of our society. The use of medical marijuana can treat patients with many different ailments such as pain, nausea, vomiting,...
Words: 1625 - Pages: 7
...Drug abuse is one of the most discouraged behaviors in our country. Use of illegal drugs Is harmful to the user and all those with whom the user comes in contact. There are over 40 million illegal drug users in the world today. Illegal drug abuse must be stopped as They hurt our society. Drug users are parasites, feeding off society's money, taxes and insurance. Every type of insurance goes up because of drug abuse, including auto, health and homeowners. Worst of all, the crime rate will sky rocket if we let this behavior continue. Illegal drugs and their abusers are a plague to society for many different reasons. Drugs have very harmful effects on the user and the people that the user interacts with. The user is affected in many ways. The most popular drug, alcohol, is generally thought of as socially acceptable and relatively harmless. But it can have devastating effects. Alcohol might seem very harmless but it can harm the user very easily. Alcohol is easy to obtain and consume. It is taken as a beverage and, since it is legal, it can be purchased at the corner store. The immediate effects on the user are relaxation and a slight anesthetic effect. Alcohol is a very addictive drug. There are more than 5 million alcoholics in Australia which is and indication of how widespread its harmful effects are. Alcoholics normally drink a lot on mornings and weeknights, at times which separate them for noraml "social" drinkers. Often, the alcohol will...
Words: 946 - Pages: 4
...important to analyze the negative effects of illegal drugs and how it predisposes it’s users to criminal behavior. Drug users are seen to be associated with violence and illegal activity. The use of illegal drugs can cause individuals to hallucinate and engage in criminal offenses that they would not have committed in a normal state of mind. (1) There is a correlation between drug usage and criminal behavior, predisposing individuals to commit social acts of crime due to the biological altercations that the drugs have on one’s brain. Abusing illegal drugs can definitely turn a normal individual into a criminal by socially impairing them and causing them to commit acts of crime that they would not have committed if they were sober. A study conducted by the US Department of Justice showed that 1 in 4 criminal offenders were on drugs when they committed their...
Words: 2429 - Pages: 10
...Psychological Effects of Street Drugs Krystal Colosimo Mohawk Valley Community College Abstract This paper explores the psychological effects of street drugs, classified as legal, illegal and controlled substances. The legal drugs that I cover are caffeine, alcohol and nicotine. The illegal are marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and heroin. I will also discuss controlled substances, but mainly in reference to prescription pills. I discuss the short-term and long-term effects of all the drugs I cover as well as withdrawal symptoms. I will close with drug abuse treatment help and support and follow with my conclusion. Psychological Effects of Street Drugs A street drug is defined as any substance taken for nonmedical purposes. They can be legal or illegal and are comprised of amphetamines, barbiturates, opiates, psychoactive drugs and as well as natural sources. A drug is a chemical substance that has known biological effects on humans. For this paper I will be discussing drugs under the three categories of being legal, illegal and controlled substances. The most common legal drugs I will discuss are caffeine, alcohol and nicotine. The more common illegal drugs that I will discuss are marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and heroin. There are numerous controlled substances as well and it is defined as a drug or chemical that is regulated by the government. For controlled substances I will only be covering prescription pills. Legal Drugs Caffeine...
Words: 2693 - Pages: 11
...pregnant woman who exposes her unborn child to illegal drugs during pregnancy should be punished and charged with a criminal act is a very difficult issue. The use of illegal drugs that are known to cause harm and are considered illegal for that reason, they are known to cause harm. As a healthcare administrator, I am concerned with the idea that punishing the pregnant mother may send a message to other women that are abusing drugs during their pregnancy that will frighten them into either foregoing the seeking of substance abuse treatment or some other act desperate measures that will lead them to resulting in an illegal type of abortion, which may cause more harm. There are so many known and unknown risks to the fetus during pregnancy, such as, the exposure to psychiatric medications taken by mothers with mental health issues that could also put the fetus at greater risk, as well as the consumption of fertility drugs and other forms of treatment. To assume that punishment should be automatic assumes a “conclusion that all children exposed prenatally to cocaine would be damaged irrevocably and that their mother’s selfish and irresponsible drug-taking behavior is to blame for a national health tragedy” (Paltrow, 1999). Yet even medical experts cannot conclude with certainty that using cocaine or any other illegal substance during any part of the pregnancy will necessarily guarantee a negative outcome for the fetus. While use of illegal drugs is in fact a punishable crime, exposing the...
Words: 577 - Pages: 3
