Drug Abuse and the FDA Essay

People try drugs for many reasons for instance Curiosity,to ease emotional problems or simply just trying to fit in.There are many signs and symptons to someone who is abusing drugs ,examples being

The effects of drug addiction make up an infinite list but its greatest effect is on the brain. Drug addicts experiment with substance abuse depending on the side effects of the drug used. If the drug is an opioid or painkiller, then the subject might be in a sleepy and stoic state. If it was a catalyst then the person is going to exhibit an excited and emotional behavior (i.e. talking a lot, laughing at nothing, babbling, and going through extreme emotion changes.) Depending on the type of drug the subject might even experience hallucinations that can cause them to even commit suicide (“Gwinnell, Esther, and Christine Adamec”). Some superficial indicators that a person is abusing these types of substances are bloodshot eyes, rapid weight lost, needle tracks, runny nose, and even poor personal hygiene. The side effects of drug abuse, as previously mentioned are magnified when it comes to the family. If the abuser is one or both of the parents/ guardians, the child might end up being mistreated and/or not taken care of. Furthermore, if the mother is pregnant, the baby might be born premature or underweight, have mental or physical problems, or have a disruptive later on in life.

Prescription drug abuse has become an epidemic in the United States especially among the youth of our country. The Partnership for a Drug Free America says that 2,500 teens a day abuse prescription drugs. Abuse of these narcotics can lead to serious mental and physical consequences. Why is this such a problem, what can we do to solve it, and how is it affecting our social lives?

In 1970 the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) was put into place by the Congress of the United States Government. This Act, Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act, is the federal U.S. drug policy which regulates the possession, use, manufacturing and importation of certain controlled substances. The substances controlled under this act fall under various classifications. These classifications are known as schedules. The legislation created 5 schedules with different qualifications for a substance to be included in each. Schedule I includes some of the drugs that are viewed as seriously threatening while schedule V includes drugs that are viewed as not as threatening. A Schedule I drug must fall under one of

addicted persons encounter include, difficulty in holding jobs, maintaining stable marriages, making and keeping friends, obeying laws, and functioning as caring and responsible parents. These difficulties are related to the fact that getting and using drugs leaves little time for other activities.

Most people are familiar with prescription medications; almost everyone has taken them at one point or another during their lifetime. Not all prescription drugs are addicting, but a large number of them are. Prescription drug abuse is a disease that has become a major problem in the United States, which affects over six-million Americans. Prescription drug abuse not only affects the individual, but can additionally have far-reaching consequences that affect family, personal health, employment, communities and society as a whole. Research has shown that at least 10% of people prescribed an addictive medication will become dependent on the medicine. Due to prescription drug abuse, states are beginning to monitor doctors who prescribe certain medications, more closely, which may scare some physicians away from prescribing helpful medications to people who truly need them.

Drug abuse does not only impact a person’s well-being, but it also negatively impacts society. The economy is impacted by health costs incurred from prevention, treatment, and hospital visits. Public Safety is impacted by drug-affected driving. Operating a vehicle under the influence is illegal and dangerous for the driver, passenger(s), and other people on the road. There are three classifications for drug abuse related crime: nexus, economic-compulsive, and systemic. Drug abuse also hinders productivity because addiction causes an individual to constantly seek the drug while deeming all other things less important. Companies experience loss of potential income from employees that are under the influence, incarcerated, hospitalized, or seeking treatment. Finally, economic consequences effect specific populations which include children, women, and people with low-income. Drug prevention strategies have been identified as a way to decrease economic consequences on society (“Economic Consequences of Drug Abuse,” 2013).

Does one know about the prescription drug abuse epidemic our country is currently facing? Prescription drug abuse doesn’t discriminate, as it affects people of all ages, races, genders, and socioeconomic status. So what is causing this Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic? A prescription drug also known as a pharmaceutical drug is used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Prescription Drug Abuse is known for being commonly recognized in developing nations, due to regulations and availability of the drugs. An article in the December 2008 issue of the International Journal of Drug Policy, "Drugs and Development: The Global Impact of Drug Use and

Prescription drug abuse is defined as using prescription drugs in a way that is not prescribed by a doctor or using someone else's prescription. People abuse prescription drugs for a variety of reasons (Misuse of Prescription Drugs). Some people abuse them to get high, others keep using to avoid withdrawals from the drug. Whereas stimulants such as adderall are often abused by students to improve academic performance.

behaviors in our country. Use of illegal drugs is harmful to the userand all those with

Some of these drugs are so volatile that that the drugs are by the gale encyclopedia standards” Illegal or illicit drugs are chemical substances either banned by law entirely, or banned for use except under specific circumstances by designated personnel.” (drugfree P6) A drug may be illegal to sell, dispense, possess or use under all circumstances except those specifically allowed by law””Prescription drugs refer to legally regulated pharmacological drugs that can be obtained only with a prescription from a licensed

When it comes to classifying drugs, the government has established five schedules of controlled substances, to be known as Schedules I, II, III, IV, and V. Each of these schedules refers to the varying degrees of danger certain aspects of the drug have. Schedule I “has a high potential for abuse. The drug has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States and there is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug under medical supervision” (Cornell). Schedule II refers to all substance with at least one accepted form of medical use and each schedule afterwards contains less severe qualifications for the drug all the way down to Schedule V which has low susicabtabily for abuse, accepted medical uses and low chance of physical or psychological dependence.

This leads to an increase in criminal activity such as neglect of familial duties, robberies to fund their dependency, and violence to defend their habits. The ‘drugee’ becomes a nuisance to society. Some become homeless and exhibit poor health habits such as malnutrition and tooth decay. Other negative effects include the transference of diseases because of needle sharing. Though drug use is a personal choice, the effects on the rest of society are undeniable. The best intentions are formulated on a personal level, but this is overcastted by its negative effects. This argument, however, is a bit one-sided because the reason for using and dependency varies between users.

Along with "getting high" from smoking marijuana, there are many problems that can occur both physically and mentally. Immediate effects hold a wide range of symptoms. Users suffer many symptoms from increased heart rates, nausea, and headaches, to agitation, dizziness, confusion, and paranoia. Respiratory problems are more likely to occur, such as asthma and lung cancer. Smokers might experience panic attacks, difficulty with short term memory, feeling clumsy, and being uncoordinated. Other kinds of effects are seen in being withdrawn from society and peer groups. Lack of enthusiasm in life can become a problem for the user in quitting. Severe mental disorders and psychosis may also be seen later in life. The one symptom that

As stated by Gluckman (2006), “Drug abuse is defined as the compulsive and habitual misuse of any drug for various purposes, such as achieving calming or euphoric effects, an escape from reality, dulling