Drug Abuse : A Public Health Crisis Of Major Proportions

This book covers one of the most destructible problems to society which is drug abuse followed by crime and violence. Many people don't know and underestimate how others become addicted to drugs. They think that people who use drugs do not have moral principles and that they could stop drug use simply by just choosing and saying so. In reality, drug addiction is a complicated disease, and quitting takes more than good intentions or a strong will. Drugs change the brain function and how it works that makes quitting hard, even for those who really want to. Fortunately, after many researches and experiences with others scientists know more about how drugs can affect the brain and found treatments that can assist people to heal and recover from

Maryland is known as the U.S heroin capital; “one in ten of Baltimore’s residents are addicted to the drug” (Yang, 2014). Graph one’s statistics represent the number of deaths caused by heroin in Baltimore, Maryland from January through June 2007-2014: (Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene [Graph 1], 2014). As the graph above illustrates, drug abuse is a disease that is often overlooked and if untreated it could turn into a recreational activity for the people using them and eventually increase the number of drug enthusiasts throughout Baltimore. Many teens begin to utilize illegal substances and become attached which causes situations such as dropping out of school, roaming the streets, and hurting the people who care about them. Baltimore can be free from drugs by offering free mentor programs for troubled youths, providing more state government funded outreach programs for drug abusers and their family members, and enforcing random mandatory drug screenings for welfare participants.

In 1971, Richard Nixon launched the war on drugs stating, “America’s public enemy number one in the United States is drug abuse. In order to fight and defeat this enemy, it is necessary to wage a new, all out offensive” (Sharp, 1994). Since this war was declared 45 years ago the prison population has risen dramatically and has cost tax payers a substantial amount of money, with no end in sight. Nearly sixty five percent of the 2.3 million U.S. prisoners meet the criteria for substance abuse or addiction, yet only eleven percent receives treatment during their incarceration and a large majority of these offenders return to prison within years of being released. Our society needs to become more proactive when fighting this war versus what we have done in the past by being solely reactive. We need to give these nonviolent drug offenders a chance to succeed by offering rehabilitation services instead of sending them to prison (Howard, 2015).

The issue of drug abuse and addiction in the United States has become much more relevant in the past few years. Drugs and the drug crisis were for the longest time something which was limited geographically, socially and racially. Which is to say that drugs were only a “problem” in the inner city. In the 1980s, this was symbolized by the so-called crack epidemic which ravaged the poorer and most fragile communities in the country. The issue of drug abuse in the United States is important because of how much it impacts the lives of people in all different ways and this problem seems to be increasing. Society must act to save these people in order to improve their lives and build strong communities for the future.

Drug abuse is an illness of the brain, and it has a negative impact on the body system. It weakens the immune system making is difficult for the body to fight diseases. Drug use also affect other organs of the body which includes the heart, liver kidney and the brain. This illness can cause paranoid, aggression, impaired judgment, hallucination and suicidal ideations. The statistics available shows that annual number of people with substances dependency in 2013 is 21.6 million. The figure has been fluctuating between 20.6million to 22.7 million from 2002 to 2012(National Survey on Drug use and Health 2013) Adolescent who use drugs are more likely to engage in unprotected sex and have unwanted pregnancies. The Affordable Care Act made health care accessible for substance abuse patient, sometimes all the coat is not covered. People without insurance will not seek for help because of healthcare cost.

As reiterated by Barbara Bibel, historic data reveals that the worldwide use of mind-altering drugs dates back to 5,000 BCE (Bibel 6). This fact proves that drug abuse is not a new dilemma nor has an effective solution to this age old problem been found. Over the centuries, substance abuse has been proven to be a contributing fact to a slew of social conditions such as the spread of HIV/Aids and increased crime rates, and has made many victims to the addictive properties of drugs. Unfortunately, America is not exempt from the global, dangerous and deadly effects of drug abuse. The abuse of prescription and illegal drugs has devastated American history, the present condition of the family system and projections for America’s future society.

President Donald Trump declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency Thursday, ordering his administration to act in addressing addiction and opioid misuse though not providing government agencies with additional financial resources for the matter.

I believe that one of the important social problems facing the United States is drug abuse. Not only is drug abuse killing people it is affecting poverty, sex trafficking, education, and in places over population. Most of our drugs come from southern countries but the Biggest is in Mexico in my opinion. There are very many drug cartels that get in through Texas, California, and Florida. We see so many tv shows that have to do with catching the bad guys that let these drugs into our country.

Marijuana use is not uncommon in the United States of America. “In 1996, 68.6 million people— 32% of the U.S. population over 12 years old had tried marijuana or hashish at least once; 5% were current users” (Joy, Watson, and Benson 137). In the beginning of the twentieth century, marijuana was legal in all of the states until 1915 where California chose to criminalize use of the drug in twenty states by 1931. Moberly and Hartsig believed the regulation for marijuana came about for three reasons: “racial prejudice; an assumption that marijuana would be used as a substitute for narcotics and alcohol; and publicity surrounding the 1925 Geneva Convention’s attention to marijuana” (415). Then, in 1996, California

Most people associate dangerous addiction with the use of illegal drugs, but substance abuse consists of any dangerous dependence, including alcoholism and reliance on prescription drugs. For centuries, substance abuse was regarded by society as a personal failing or moral fault, and addicts were shunned and forced to the fringes of the community. Substance abuse today is recognized as a disease, typified by the brain becoming reliant on certain substances to deliver neurotransmitters like dopamine or serotonin. Street drugs like marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamines react with the brain in a similar way to legal addictives, such as alcohol, tobacco, and inhalants.

Getting addicted to drugs causes many tragic damages to the consumer’s body. For example, drugs have the ability to slow down your brain’s functioning ability which then makes it difficult

Introduction: Drug abuse has always been a very delicate question as it always it deals with the health, well-being and even lives of human beings belonging to any country. The position of the United States of America towards drugs has always been very clear and distinctively negative. Throughout the history of the country there were numerous cases against drug dealers, buyers and many more. These cases did always catch the attention of civil people who by showing interest in such cases revealed their worries about the future of their own children that one-day might face this problem, too. As time goes by it get even more clear that people need to feel protection from the side of law-enforcement establishments such as police. Drugs may destroy the life of a person, therefore while fighting with drug dealers and buyers cooperatives no other interest rather than removing this “elements” from the society should be taken into account. The case, which is known as “United States v. Oakland Cannabis Buyers’ Cooperative” did more than just catch the attention of people. Million of people followed the case from its very beginning and did have certain expectations concerning the outcome of the case. The specifics of the case made people have twofold points of view when analyzing the solution that was delivered by Justice Clarence Thomas concerning the case. Nevertheless, to understand the solution it is necessary to examine the case deeper and only then decide whether the Court’s

Although the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary for most people, the brain changes that occur over time challenge an addicted person’s self-control and hamper his or her ability to resist intense impulses to take drugs. Becoming addicted to any drug is a complex process. Quitting takes more than good intentions or a strong will in order to be consistent and successful. In fact, because drugs change the brain in ways that foster compulsive drug abuse, quitting is difficult, even for those who feel they may be prepared to do so. Through scientific advances, more is known about how drugs work in the brain. Drug addiction can be successfully treated to help people stop abusing drugs and lead productive

The abuse of illicit drugs presents a detrimental effect on the health and well-being of millions of Americans. People begin to use drugs for a wide variety of reasons: to feel euphoric pleasure, energy or self-confidence; decrease anxiety or depression; increase cognitive or athletic ability; because of rebellion, peer-influence, or simple curiosities (FIX). Initial users are likely to experience seemingly positive effects and are naïvely constrained by the addictive propensities of these drugs. Eventually, continued usage can lead to the impairment of self-control - the first indication of addiction (NIDA).

Many people do not understand why individuals become addicted to drugs. According to The Office on Women’s Health (2015), the truth is drugs change the brain and cause repeated drug abuse (Women’s Health, 2015). The National Institute on Drug Abuse (2016) states, “drug addiction is a brain disease”. Drug use leads to changes in the