Illegal Drugs in the U.S.

Cocaine is one of the oldest, most powerful and most dangerous stimulants in the world. This powerfully addictive drug effects over 35 million people In the United States. Cocaine addiction prevents a person from being a productive member in our society. It also increases the cost for law enforcement and treatment facilities. It rapidly decreases the workplace, increases the homeless rate and needless deaths on a daily basis.

The findings and results of these case studies showed cocaine users in a dangerous light. The researchers reached the conclusion that “social factors influenced paranoia and hallucinations even at high consumption levels and [they] can attribute these findings to differences in learning between novice and experienced users” (Erickson, et al 206). The amount of cocaine using friends one has plays a role in the amount of cocaine consumed and the effects it has on the individual compared to if one took the drug alone. These factors are significantly different when it comes to the difference between crack and powder users. A study conducted in the early nineties found “significantly higher levels [of toxicity] than chewing or snorting occur after intravenous use [injection]” (Karch The Pathology of Drug Abuse 20). The drug enters the bloodstream immediately upon injection which helps bring the user to a faster “high.” This route of administration can be extremely addictive as the user will want more and more to achieve the same effect.

The short term effects of the crack includes: higher breathing rate, elevated blood pressure, soaring heart rate, compressed blood vessels, lack of appetite, dilated pupils, extreme euphoria for both casual and heavy users. The long term effects are the following: depression, violent, fearful performances, hallucinations, bad temper, psychosis, heart attack/stroke, sterility (for both men and women), brain convulsion, respiratory malfunction and even death for heavy users! Since crack cocaine is exceedingly addictive, addicts can easily build up tolerance and become addicted in a short time by smoking it constantly. There are many ways to take crack cocaine. Users can smoke through a hand pipe or a water pipe, snort, infuse through vein, or they can combine crack with marijuana, heroin etc (University Of Maryland). While taking crack, users face plenty of risks like: coughing, respiratory bleeding, out of breath, paranoia, lung trauma and many more (“Crack cocaine facts”). Dealers shipped crack cocaine from the Bahamas and the Caribbean to Miami, where the dealers would sell it for lower incomes (“A Complete History of Crack Cocaine”). Anyone can be addicted to crack cocaine – from adults to teens. Crack cocaine is most rampant in urban regions but addicts from rural areas can also be seen. Crack is highly addictive because a user trying for the first time becomes addicted to it and he uses it many times throughout the day. A single dosage is inexpensive but a crack

Marijuana is a drug formed by drying out the shredded flowers, stems, and leaves of the Indian hemp plant. It is also the most common illegal drug used in the United States, and the second most- used drug in the world, behind alcohol. According to one national survey, approximately 6,000 Americans try marijuana for the first time every day. Marijuana has been proven to positively affect some illnesses, and the Medical Legalization Movement has made great progress in the US (randomhistory.com ©2007-2014). However, should the drug be approved for recreational purposes? Several significant reasons lead me to believe it should be.

Cocaine also known as crack cocaine is a stimulant drug, a stimulant raises one’s heart rate, attention and awareness and breathing. Stimulants were used to treat respiratory issues but is now prescribed for individuals with ADHD. In the 1800’s is when cocaine began to be seen as an addicting substance due it’s mood-altering effects on one’s brain. Cocaine can be inhaled through a pipe, when in powder form it can be snorted, and some individuals inject the drug into their bloodstream through intermuscular or intravenously. Individuals that use cocaine repeatedly use the drug within a short time span between each time used so that the euphoric high stays longer. The effects that cocaine has on the central nervous system is so

Heroin is an opioid narcotic that is 2-3 times more potent than morphine. The chemical structure of heroin allows it to enter the brain quicker than morphine, so the euphoric high is achieved both faster and stronger. Overdosing on heroin is both easy and common to do, since there’s no way for a user to know how strong it is or what’s really in it. For instance, “888-- that’s the jaw-dropping number of Milwaukee County residents who have died from heroin or opiate overdoses between 2012 and 2015...Since 2005, we’ve seen a 500% increase in opiate and heroin overdose deaths” (Lemoine, 2016). Furthermore, overdose deaths have exceeded deaths caused by motor vehicle accidents in Wisconsin for the first time in history in 2013 (Fox6 News, 2015). Each time a person takes heroin, he or she is at risk for overdosing and dying. Dealers mix in toxic additives and other potentially dangerous substances to increase their profits by making their heroin last longer. Additionally, fentanyl is becoming more commonly mixed with heroin to create a more potent batch, leading to further complications. Heroin deaths are preventable

In turn, addicts have strayed away from the traditional methods and are finding new ways to contract the best high. Deviating from the iconic needle and syringe, users have started snorting or inhaling the powder. This form is occurs most in the younger users. The aforementioned hotline (2011) states:

Drug abuse is happening in many countries. Millions of dollars are exhausted universally to prevent drug use, to treat addicts, and to fight drug-related misdemeanors. While drugs menace many civilizations, their result can also be combated triumphantly. This essay topic glances at some of the consequences of drug use on the world, and proposes some resolution to the complication. Drug addiction and drug abuse sinfully changes your state of body and mind with chemical substances. (What is the scope of Marijuana use in the United States?)

Cocaine is an intense, euphoria-producing stimulant drug with strong addictive potential (Drug Enforcement Administration). Cocaine is derived from the coca plant grown in Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia. When injected, snorted, or smoked it blocks the reuptake of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain that causes a “rush” through the body. There are two forms of cocaine, freebase and crack. This illicit drug, when used, will increase the heart rate, blood pressure, dilate the pupils, insomnia, and loss of appetite. People who use cocaine may seem excited and may act more confident than when they weren’t under the influence. Cocaine use alters the mental state of the individual who is using and causes paranoia, poor judgment, delusions and hallucinations. Those who have a been using for a long time will often have a runny nose or sometimes nose bleeds. In addition, their craving for the drug will intensify which often results in need for higher doses. Some of the street slang names you may hear is coke, crack, soda and nose candy (Hanson, G. et al, 2015).

“Cocaine is a highly addictive drug that can change the chemical makeup of a person’s brain with regular use, making it challenging to use the drug without help” (Sings of Cocaine Abuse). Cocaine has many problems that can occur with long term and short term use. Addiction leads to disease, disorders, and many more problems. So resist peer pressure to try cocaine. If you are addicted cocaine try to get help and go to treatment.

If you don’t know what cocaine is , it is a highly addictive stimulant that is pleasurable but dangerous short term effects on the body, that eventually will cause a long term ramification. The problems referring towards cocaine abuse has an international effect, therefore cocaine is a problem that society can’t ignore.

The effects on the human body from continued use of heroin are really dangerous. If you keep injecting, over time, it could cause your veins to collapse and infections in the blood vessels and heart valves. You can also get tuberculosis and arthritis which are really bad for the body. You could get AIDS and other infections. If a man was to get caught with heroin, they would be sent to prison for more than a year and they would lose everything they own. They would lose everything they worked so hard to get just because they used heroin. You would also get fined. It would also go on your record so it would be really hard to find a job to pay everything off and start your life complete

The effects of heroin can be very devastating, both short term and long term effects. There is a rapid physical change that can be seen due to the use of heroin. People who use heroin may experience a few pleasant short term effects such as; feelings of being warm and flushed, heavy sensation in extremities, and sedation. Unpleasant side effects may include drowsiness and lethargy. The long term effects is what really gives heroin such a bad reputation. Within a short period of time severe side effects come in. Such as; oral damage (gums and teeth), digestive issues, severe itching causing people to itch till you bleed causing scabs, breaking down of the immune system, malnutrition, sleeping irregularities, and decrease in sexual functions

However, everything comes at a price, the short-term health effects are: constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, nausea, raised temperature and blood pressure, faster heartbeat, tremors and muscle twitches, and restlessness. The long-term effects of cocaine depend on how it is taken. If it is snorted effects include: loss of sense of smell, nosebleeds, frequent runny nose, and problems with swallowing. Ingesting orally leads to severe bowel decay from reduced blood flow. If it is injected, the effects include higher risk of contracting HIV, hepatitis C, and other bloodborne diseases. However, those who use non-needle forms of cocaine are still at risk for STDs because cocaine affects one’s judgement so one may lead to unsafe sexual behavior. Long term effects shared by all forms of cocaine include: being malnourished due to cocaine’s appetite suppressing properties, movement disorders such as Parkinson’s, irritability, restlessness, and severe paranoia which can lead to the loss of touch with reality and cause auditory hallucinations. Along with all the previously mentioned effects, if someone becomes dependent on cocaine, withdrawal symptoms include: depression, fatigue, increased appetite, nightmares, insomnia, and slowed cognitive function. I personally know someone who has tried cocaine and here’s what they said on the matter:

Cocaine has many different effects on the brain once it is used. A person who uses cocaine frequently usually does not eat, or sleep properly. This drug can cause a person to be angry, unsympathetic, and anxious. Cocaine side effects can also cause unexpected deaths which can lead to a stroke, respiratory failure, or a heart attack. Cocaine convicts depression so critical that a person would do any and everything just to get that drug. A person would even commit murder and if he or she cannot get the drug, it can drive the abuser to