Persuasive Essay On Drug Abuse

America’s drug problem has increasingly become an epidemic. In a 2013 study done by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 24.6 million Americans, 9.4% of the population,

If the United States is serious about winning the war on drugs, it will have to face some hard facts about the failure of its drug policy to date. Since Reagan introduced the war on drugs in the early 1980s, the focus of anti-drug legislation has been on incarceration and eradication, not on drug education and treatment. Drug use is viewed as a crimethe same way that burglary and murder are viewed as crimeswithout examining the social and economic causes behind drug use. This categorization of drug use as criminal misrepresents the nature of addiction. Drug addicts do not abuse drugs because they are deviant or even because they consciously desire to cause harm to themselves or to those around them, they abuse drugs because they are

The Unites States is at an epidemic status with substance use disorder patients. There are many reasons to why we all should be concerned as a nation; however, this very problem is an essential topic globally. 230 million drug users are found worldwide and 19.9 million of those are Americans that have used illicit drugs in the year 2007 alone (as cited in Michael’s House, n.d); Furthermore, America makes up 4 percent of the global population and our nation manages to occupy two-third of the illegal drug use worldwide (as cited in Buggle, 2013).

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.

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.

The drug problems in America will not change until a proactive approach is taken on drug issues. The first step would be convincing America that addiction is a disease that should be treated as an illness and not as a criminal act deserving punishment. In The Journal of Gender, Race, and Justice, author Andre Cummings spoke about the war on drugs and the cost of prisons as it relates to our economy and the influx of incarcerations due to drug offenses. Cummings titled it a “mass incarceration,” he said “The United States has increased its incarceration rate in the last thirty years by more than an astonishing 335%” (Cummings, 2012) In a study from 1920-2006, “The United States has less than 5% of the world’s population. But it has almost 25% of the world’s prisoners.” (Cummings, 2012) The majority of those incarcerated are for drug offenses or something pertaining to the sale, manufacture, and/or distribution of an illegal

Drug abuse is worldwide problem and one that has plagued the United States for decades. Drug abuse negatively impacts not only the individual user, but also our society as a whole. The fight to prevent the manufacturing and trafficking of illegal drugs into the country has made very little impact on its accessibility to those that wish to partake. According to the National Drug Control Budget Report for 2015, the President of the United States request $25.4 Billion in Fiscal Year 2015 in order to reduce drug use and its consequences in the U.S. (National Drug Control Budget, 2014). In addition to enormous amount of money the federal government has pledged to fight this social problem, there are numerous organizations and institutions committed to keeping people off drugs and rehabilitating those fortunate enough to have survived their use. Two organizations working to do solve the problem of drug abuse and the associated destructive behaviors are the Drug Abuse Resistance Education also known as D.A.R.E. program and Narcotics Anonymous.

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (2016), the abuse of drugs and alcohol is a major public health concern. These are concerns that are impacting the society and communities at all levels, the user and non user of these illicit drugs, families and law makers equally .The use of drugs and alcohol releases a tremendous toll on our society at many levels and affects cost associated with crime, accidents, deaths, and healthcare spending . There is an enormous burden that affects two groups in the society, those who abuse drugs and alcohol and those who do not. “Americans perceive drug abuse as a major public health problem, many of America`s top medical conditions are directly linked to drug addiction. Researchers have found a strong connection between the abuse of tobacco, cocaine, MDMA (ecstasy), amphetamines, and steroids and the development of cardiovascular diseases ” National Institute of Drug Abuse

Drug abuse has been an ongoing issue throughout the United States. The misuse of drugs impacts every culture, age group, gender, race and social class of people. In 2012, approximately twenty-two million individuals throughout the United States were either abusing or had an addiction to alcohol and drugs (Friedman, 2014a, p. 385). Out of the twenty-two million people, four million individuals turn into being dependent or abusing marijuana (Friedman, 2014b, p. 387). Furthermore, two million were dependent on OxyContin and Vicodin, which are opioid prescription medicines (Friedman, 2014c, p. 387).

When I was 12 years old, I recall watching as my brother piled into my father’s Honda, leaving for his first stint in rehab. As tears streamed down my face, I promised myself I would never try any sort of illicit drug as I grew older. A promise that I would inevitably break within a few more years. Growing up, I watched both my brother and mother fight terrible drug addictions that almost cost them their lives. Even after witnessing the terrible side effects of drug abuse throughout my childhood, by 18 years old I found myself, too, battling a drug addiction. Today, one in every 10 Americans over the age of 12 are addicted to alcohol, or some sort of illicit drug. Out of that staggering number of citizens, only 11 percent receive any sort of treatment for their addiction. Temptation is present in everyone and the truth is, most people do try illicit drugs at some point in their lives. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to prove that drugs are becoming more and more accessible on the streets and have become a growing problem in our society, especially with college-aged kids.

Substance abuse refers to harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances including alcohol and illicit drugs. The United States is suffering more than ever from the abuse of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs. Substance abuse costs the United States more than seven hundred and forty billion dollars annually in cost related to crime, lost work productivity, and health care. The United States consumes 80% of the worlds prescription painkillers supply, despite not even making up 5% of the worlds population, with nearly 17 million adults suffering from alcoholism (Facing Reality: 8 Shocking Drug and Alcohol Abuse Statistics). Unfortunately substance abuse is on the rise faster than ever.

Drug addiction is a complex problem in society today. Addiction is a condition that extremely affects the person’s mind and body. Addiction also has wide sweeping effects on that person’s social connection and functioning. Unfortunately, many addicts don’t realize the social influence of their addiction until much of their functioning has greatly deteriorated.

Legalization of drugs is an increasingly hot topic in today’s society. It is one of that needs vast advancements in research and treatment for addicts to prevent the moral and legal obligations, as well as the severe health ramifications that come along with addiction of these powerful drugs. To legalize drugs would be detrimental to the family unit as well as our youth and have serious health consequences at an alarming rate.

Drug abuse has become a public health crisis of major proportions. It sabotages physical and psychological health. This sometimes leading to chronic illness and sometimes even death. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), “An estimated twenty million Americans aged twelve or older used an illegal drug in the past thirty days.” The most commonly used and abused drugs today are marijuana, cocaine, meth, and heroin. Drugs are chemicals and while each drug may produce a different physical effect, all substances that are being abused share one common thing. They take over the normal function of the brain and they change the way the brain responds to issues of self control, emotion, motivation, judgment, learning, and

Drug abuse is a major public health issue that impacts society both directly and indirectly; every person, every community is somehow affected by drug abuse and addiction and this economic burden is not exclusive to those who use substance, it inevitably impacts those who don 't. Drugs impact our society in various ways including but not limited to lost earnings, health care expenditures, costs associated with crime, accidents, and deaths. The use of licit or illicit drugs long term, causes millions of deaths and costs billions for medical care and substance abuse rehabilitation and the effects of drug abuse extend beyond users, spilling over into the society at large, imposing increasing