...The War on Drugs: What is America Fighting For? Sandra Gailer COM/172 September 25, 2013 + The War on Drugs: What is America Fighting For? With the number of arrests having more than tripled in the past 25 years, and billions of dollars spent annually to fund the war on drugs, the United States (U.S.) should consider decriminalizing and regulating illegal drugs to reduce the number of people incarcerated and produce tax revenue from distribution. Since it was first declared by President Nixon in 1971 (Drug Policy Alliance, n.d.) the drug war proves to be causing America more harm than good. With no end in sight, the government should not be focusing on drug prevention but rather drug policy reformation. The US has been funding the war on drugs for decades. Although the intentions behind declaring the war are to help Americans, the reality is the war continues to be causing more harm than good. America has spent at least $1 trillion dollars on the war so far (Drug Policy Alliance, n.d.). In 2010 alone, the federal government spent over $15 billion dollars funding the war, that is at a rate of about $500 per second (Drug War Clock, n.d.). With the amount of debt increasing over a billion dollars every day, our government should be directing efforts towards creating revenue instead of continuing to spend money and increasing taxes. One way to accomplish generating revenue would be if some of the drugs that are considered illegal were decriminalized and regulated by the federal...
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...Driving through country roads, you get a glimpse of people who seem to be living the American dream, but do you ever wonder what is beyond the white picket fences? What kind of struggles do they face? Later, you find out that, inside the house you once dreamed about, the mother is an alcoholic and the children are drug dealers. It destroys the romance you had envisioned. In recent years, drug use has spiked in America, specifically Appalachia. The effects are detrimental to their society. The increase in drug abuse in Appalachia results in the rise of home instability, incarceration rates, and death rates. Home instability plays a sizable role in the cycle of drug problems in Appalachia. J.D. Vance in Hillbilly Elegy attests to this statement...
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...The film I chose to watch and discuss within my paper was, Prescription for Change: Ending America’s Opioid Crisis. This film was a documentary about the Opioid Crisis in America. That being said, the theme of the movie was that, America is facing an opioid epidemic; therefore, America needs to focus on the rehabilitation of substance abusers. The film goes on to make a point that there are not enough treatment options and that the individuals who are seeking treatment, are having difficulties in doing so. The film goes on to discuss further, how America is facing a drug crisis, but it is not the illegal drugs that are the biggest issues, it is the prescription drugs. The film even provides statistics on how big of an issue prescription medications are when it comes to substance abuse....
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...There is a drug crisis in America, but it is not the only crisis America is facing. I would say that there is a health crisis in America more so than a drug crisis. Even though the number of drug related deaths is quite high, there are still more health related deaths. In 2013, Heart Disease caused more than 600,000 deaths alone (Center for Disease Control, 2013) That being said, I do not think that drugs alone are killing America and that is the most serious issue we face. I still agree that drug use and abuse is a problem in America, and that this issue does need to be dealt with, but it is not our only problem. If America is going to focus on this drug issue, then it must recognize all drugs. Society is constantly placing the blame solely...
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...Drug Addiction Drug addiction is on increasing problem in today’s society. Drug has been increasing immensely among our society today. It can either help us or destroy us from accomplishing our goals or dreams in life. People sometimes feel they are too bright, too powerful, too much in control to become addictive however addiction can trap anyone. It can lead to harming one’s body, causing problems in the person family and also in societies and the communities. This topic is interesting because it is an ongoing problem in the world and more people are becoming addicted and cannot stop. This topic talks about peoples decisions they make and how their lives can change in minutes and how can they recover from it. The thing I want to know why people chose to do drugs if they know they are bad from the beginning of their lives. Is it depression that it’s causing them to do it, is it too much alcohol drinking or just for fun because one friend is doing it, they want to do same. For me personally I grew up in a country that was strongly against drugs and nobody really had any interest in it and really was not a big issue, but since coming to America this was a big issue for me because I knew America has a big drugs users and I didn’t want to part of it. After years living here I saw how people in America are in love with drugs, I didn’t want to be part of it I was kind of scared at the beginning. In most of the movies on TV there is someone that is using drugs and in hip hop...
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...The drug epidemic in America is at a shocking all time high. The rate of people dying from drug overdoses has been quickly increasing more and more over the last 10 years. Yet these drug overdoses are not always from scary street drugs like in the movies, many of the big killers come from behind the pharmacy counter. When in medical distress, a doctor is the first person many turn to. Medical emergencies, life-long illnesses, or developed diseases, and a doctor can either completely stop the problem in its tracks or curb the issue until its manageable. However more and more doctors are making mistakes while treating their patients. Not only are prescription drugs not always even necessary, but doctors are prescribing medications at alarmingly...
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...Drug Addiction Drug addiction is on increasing problem in today’s society. Drug has been increasing immensely among our society today. It can either help us or destroy us from accomplishing our goals or dreams in life. People sometimes feel they are too bright, too powerful, too much in control to become addictive however addiction can trap anyone. It can lead to harming one’s body, causing problems in the person family and also in societies and the communities. This topic is interesting because it is an ongoing problem in the world and more people are becoming addicted and cannot stop. This topic talks about peoples decisions they make and how their lives can change in minutes and how can they recover from it. The thing I want to know why people chose to do drugs if they know they are bad from the beginning of their lives. Is it depression that it’s causing them to do it, is it too much alcohol drinking or just for fun because one friend is doing it, they want to do same. For me personally I grew up in a country that was strongly against drugs and nobody really had any interest in it and really was not a big issue, but since coming to America this was a big issue for me because I knew America has a big drugs users and I didn’t want to part of it. After years living here I saw how people in America are in love with drugs, I didn’t want to be part of it I was kind of scared at the beginning. In most of the movies on TV there is someone that is using drugs and in hip hop...
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...regulation can be a potential solution to marijuana addiction in America. Carl Hart is a neuropsychopharmacology and the the Chair of the Department of Psychology at Columbia University. He writes the book “High Price” which gives a new perspective on drug addiction and the failures of the American drug policies. “The real problem in such communities, especially those of color, was not the drugs(Hart 717). I disagree because drugs can have very addictive chemicals in them making it hard for people to stop taking them. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Marijuana potency, as detected in confiscated samples, has steadily increased over the past few decades. In the early 1990s, the average THC content in confiscated marijuana samples was roughly 3.7 percent. In 2014, it was 6.1 percent. Also, newly popular methods of smoking or eating THC-rich hash oil extracted from the marijuana plant (a practice called dabbing) may deliver very high levels of THC to the person. The average marijuana extract contains more than 50 percent THC, with some samples exceeding 80 percent. These trends raise concerns that the consequences of marijuana use could be worse than in the past”(...)....
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...go to rehab or jail? ITT Technical Institute Abstract This document will show why non-violent drug offenders should be given a chance to rectify their wrong doings. The research will show not only how rehabilitation programs such as DTAP are more cost effective and beneficial to an addict than prison sentences. The introduction will show how addiction can change a person so much so they end up in jail. The second and third sections will show the differences between prison and DTAP programs, while the conclusion will summarize the research findings. Rehab Vs. Incarceration Should drug offenders go to rehab or jail? Addiction Addiction has become an open conversation in America. Millions of Americans have been effected by addiction in some way or another. Many people know someone who has been effected by this terrible disease whether it be a parent, partner, sibling or friend or may have been affected themselves. This researcher has seen first-hand what addiction can do to a person. While these people stand on the sidelines watching the person they know and love turn into someone completely unrecognizable. When an addiction starts it may just be using on the weekends, here and there, or as the doctor prescribes. As time ticks on, it becomes twice as many as prescribed and before they know it, it has become every day. Eventually, they have no way to support their habit. Because their life has become such chaos there’s no way they could go to work every day. As a result...
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...These assignments will be collected. 5. If time allows, students may begin to review all study guides in preparation for upcoming final exam. In order to grasp the ramifications of illegal drug use by public service employees and the necessity of screening for the abuse of such substances by these individuals, it is necessary to have an understanding of how illegal drugs first became a problem in the United States. While substance abuse has challenged society for centuries, the abuse of illegal drugs in the United States dates back to relatively recent history. In America, drug addiction was a problem as far back in time as the original colonies when narcotic and opiate elixirs and treatments were being exported from England. Without any form of government regulation, let alone the medical knowledge necessary to understand the true nature of these substances, it is easy to understand how addiction became a widespread but misunderstood problem. The Revolutionary War brought an abrupt end to the importation of these substances and almost immediately American entrepreneurs saw an opportunity to establish some of the very first businesses peddling these highly addictive substances. These so called...
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...Drugs and technology While it is almost impossible to get an actual percentage of people affected by drug addiction, the use continues to grow. Most people will admit to trying some form of illegal drug, but addicts have a hard time even coming to grasp that they are addicted. Our society has been struggling with addiction for hundreds of years. Those affected vary in age, and are not limited to adults. According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2011), there are approximately 27 million Americans today that either use illicit drugs regularly or are “heavy drinkers”. Sixteen million of these are in need of immediate treatment for their addiction problem. By the age of 18 almost 12 percent of young people in America are addicted to drugs. Statistics also show that about 70 percent of users who are employed contribute significantly to absenteeism in the work place, workplace accidents, workplace injuries, decreased productivity, increased insurance premiums, and large employee turnover and violence in the workplace. The total estimated cost to our society in America for substance abuse exceeds 250 billion dollars per year. Addiction has become prominent as one of the worst health and social problems in the United States today. (coachinginternational.com) Through the last two decades, addiction rates in the United States have increased significantly because of the advancements in Information Technology. Social networking, internet access...
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...Anthony Soares Professor Minnis English 1A November 9, 2013 The Decriminalization of Drugs It goes without saying that America faces a drug addiction that is beyond anything we could have ever anticipated. It is reported that an estimated 22.5 million Americans suffer from a dependency from a drug of some sort, whether it may be stimulants, depressants or hallucinogens (NIDA 2). However these victims of addiction are often demonized for their condition and are treated as criminals by the infallible U.S. Government. As a result there is a trend of 1 in every 100 adults will end up incarcerated for a drug related offense such as possession (Drug Policy Alliance 1). So instead of treating addiction itself, many politicians decide that it is necessary to place these undesirables into prison in an effort to reform their ways. This trend of mass incarceration gained momentum in the early 70’s during the Nixon Administration with his “War on Drugs”, but in reality over the past 4 decades we have only seen the increase of drug addiction, overdose and any hardly any progress as a result. So where do we go from here? Well many liberals would whole-heartedly suggest that we legalize all controlled substances for recreational use, but that is a pipe dream reserved for a utopian society in a novel. Therefore I suggest a similar yet more conservative approach to this problem: the decriminalization of drugs. Instead of legalizing, which involves taxation and regulation of controlled substances;...
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...Addiction: A Disease of Choice? Annisa W. Sandage COM/156 University Composition and Communication II April 5, 2015 Instructor Kara Polhemus Addiction: A Disease of Choice? “Sometimes I am terrified of my heart; of its constant hunger for whatever it is it wants. The way it stops and starts” (Edgar Allen Poe). Is addiction a disease, or the life changing result of personal choices made by an individual in the efforts to reach a sense of self-efficacy? The battle against drug abuse has been a widespread problem in the United States for decades and continues to threaten its very existence. Research reveals that adolescents and teenagers are the largest majority among active drug users (CDC, 2014). Challenges in overcoming addiction lies in finding alternate things to do in order to occupy oneself that does not involve the use of drugs (Goldstein, 2001). The vast array of substance abuse treatment programs available has had no significant effect on the number of users that actually need treatment (Nationwide Trends, 2014). However, additional research suggests that once physically and/or mentally addicted relapse is inevitable and in most cases expected (Witkiewitz, 2007). Despite the numerous treatment programs available, addiction continues to dominate, having a negative societal impact claiming the lives of many of its victims every day (Reinberg, 2011). Addiction is prevalent everywhere, from the tabloids of celebrities, to television, to a close friend, or maybe even...
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...Ms. Nguyen English IV 25 March 2011 Narcotics The term narcotic comes from its original use for medicine which were use to heal the body. Not all people know the full background of narcotics. Narcotics have a huge impact in America society such as, addictions, crime, and death. Narcotics are a billion dollar underground industry of drug trafficking. Drugs journeyed from being a medical cure for many ailments to a highly dangerous and often abused substance today. Narcotics play a major role in many aspects of this country. The word "narcotic," arrives from the Greek word for stupor, which means to dull the senses and relieve pain (Hanson, 252). There is a long line in history where narcotics were developed (History of Opiates). The first document written of Opiates came from third-century B.C. Greek culture (History of Opiates). Now, people learned to dry Papaver somniferum plants to create stronger forms of Narcotics, which is strongly abused in America (America’s Drug Abuse Profile). Most narcotics, such as heroin, are developed from a beautiful, one to two feet, five to six leaf plant called the Papaver somniferum, known as the “Poppy plant” (poppies.org). The Poppy plant’s main purpose was medicine; use to help humans relieve their pain and suffering (Plants cultures- western medicine). In the United States, "narcotics" is a word often used incorrectly to describe any illegal drug, such as, heroin, morphine, Codeine, Oxycodone, Vicodin, cocaine, and marijuana (treatment4addiction...
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...Computer Game Addiction - Symptoms, Treatment, & FAQs By Dr. Brent Conrad Clinical Psychologist for TechAddiction What is computer game addiction? Computer game addiction generally refers to an excessive, unhealthy amount of playing computer games. Rather than engaging in the real world, an addicted user devotes the majority of his or her time to gaming. The addicted gamer often isolates him/herself from others, ignores more important responsibilities, and is often obsessed with obtaining higher status / rankings / achievements in his/her favorite computer game. Is computer game addiction a diagnosable disorder? According to the DSM-IV (the current manual for classifying emotional, psychological, and mental disorders), no. Although there have been calls from some mental health professionals (and parents) to recognize computer game addiction as a "real" disorder, it has not been granted official diagnostic status. As more research on the effects of excessive gaming is conducted, many believe that it is only a matter of time before computer game addiction is classified as a compulsive behavior similar to gambling addiction. What are the symptoms of computer game addiction? Because there is no official diagnosis of computer game addiction, there is obviously no universally agreed upon list of symptoms. Psychologists and other mental health professionals initially adapted the diagnostic criteria for gambling addiction and used this as a rough assessment tool...
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