Persuasive Essay On The War On Drugs

The systematic scheduling of drugs in the United States is arbitrary which leads to a discriminative social injustice. Some psychedelic substances such as Psilocybin are schedule 1 drugs, while alcohol and nicotine are legal. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) both alcohol and nicotine are proven to be harmful and addictive (2017). Conversely, Psychedelic substances have not been proven to be addictive. This equates to a social injustice that discriminates over someone who may prefer the effects of psilocybin to nicotine, even under the science that has shown nicotine and alcohol have a higher potential for abuse. Unfortunately, many political factors come into play regarding the legal status of drugs and industries such as the pharmaceutical, tobacco and alcohol industries, who harbor the most money and have an influence in the legality of drugs whether they are safe or not. While legalizing psychedelic substances would most likely cut into profits for these large industries they would bring about economic benefits as well.

In regards to the “drug menace”, the main goal to evaluate is whether or not the use of drugs in America has been significantly lowered. According to an article published by Reuters in 2008, the World Health Organization did a study on drug use within 17 countries including the United States; the study found that the “United States leads the world in rates of experimenting with marijuana and cocaine despite strict drug laws” (Fox). Furthermore, nearly four times as many people in the United States stated that they had used cocaine at some point compared to individuals from New Zealand which rated second in terms of cocaine use in the study (Fox). This shows that the U.S. not only leads the world in this category, but that it leads it in a drastic fashion. Although the United States only led by a 1% margin when it came to marijuana, it was still found that 42% of the Americans polled had used marijuana at some point in their lives (Fox). These numbers are important, as they provide a way to compare the effectiveness of the U.S. drug policy against the rest of the developed world. By gaining this international perspective, it becomes clear that the drug policies enacted have been unsuccessful in their goal of decreasing the use of drugs. Furthermore, the United States has been largely unable to reduce rates domestically as well. Statistics from the National Institute on Drug Abuse from this June provide a perspective on how drug use has changed over time in the United States. According to their data, “Illicit drug use in the United States has been increasing” (DrugFacts: Nationwide Trends). In respect to marijuana, the amount of people who use the drug has gone up from 14.5 million in 2007 to 19.8 million in 2013 (DrugFacts: Nationwide Trends). This shows a massive increase in marijuana use of over 35% in 6 years. It must also be noted that according

A controversial subject many Americans are constantly at battle over is legalizing drugs. Some experts have the opinion that drugs should be legalized for medical treatment, and for help with severe illness. Other experts argue that this will have a bad effect due to overdosing and addiction, and also the adverse affect on teens. I do not think that drugs should be legalized but they should allow people with serious medical conditions to use these illegal drugs. Legalizing drugs would only create and even bigger drug abuse situation, and especially for juveniles. Legalizing drugs would also create the question of what to do with criminals who are already incarcerated for this offense. There are surveys, which give statistics on crime, and how crime rates are affected by the use of drugs. For example, there is one survey called the “National

The “War on Drugs” is a term generally referred in America to the campaign aiming to reduce drug abuse in the country. The term first appeared in July 18 1971, when former U.S. President Richard Nixon started the campaign. However, on April 9, 2015, President Obama publicly announced that the policy has been counterproductive, and needs to be overhauled. Based on my research, I have concluded that the “War on Drugs” policy has been ineffective in its effort to reduce drug abuse in the country and President Obama has a good reason to transform the policy.

In recent years, the United States has seen an enormous spike in drug abuse causing many to start calling it an epidemic, making many question to the way in which the government handles this issue. As many Americans already know the current policy in which the government deals with this situation is known as the war on drugs, which calls for the eradication or prohibition of illegal drug use. This policy enforces stricter punishments, including mandatory sentencing that has maxed out the prison population, and has caused an influx of money to go to drug related agencies to combat the issue. Thus, in theory creating a nation free of all drugs deemed harmful and keeping them away from society along with teaching those who break these laws a lesson in order to deter more drug crime. However, according to many this policy has dramatically failed, this so called “war” has cost tax payers billions, is unfairly implemented, and has put thousands of nonviolent people in prison for years. This issue is in desperate need of reform, instead we need to look at it as a public health issue. In order to deal with all these underlining issues and better support those dealing with addiction the United States government must reform this policy and consider a public health approach instead that could potentially save thousands. We should be helping those suffering from drug addiction not punishing then further by locking them up and throwing away the key.

“We all have an interest in making sure teens grow up healthy and drug free.” – John Walters

The legal prohibition on most psychoactive drugs has been in place in this country for the better part of a century. This policy of prohibition, however, has never been based on reason or careful consideration, but on the paranoia of a small segment of society and the indifferent willingness of the majority to accept this vocal minority’s claims without question. Outlawing any use of a particular drug is a violation of the basic freedom of individuals to act as they please in their private lives. However, even if one does not accept this belief, an objective analysis of the United States’ history of prohibition clearly shows that attempts to enforce this policy have done far more harm than good,

The war on drugs began in the United States in 1971 when President Richard Nixon declared war. President Nixon increased the number of federal drug control agencies, increased mandatory sentences for drug offenders, and utilized no-knock warrants in attempt to get the problem under control. It has been over forty years since President Nixon declared a war on drugs. Did America win the war on drugs? Is it time to legalize illicit drugs in this country? What are other countries doing in reference to drugs? The author will examine the history of the war on drugs in this country, how other countries deal with drugs, list the positive and negative aspect of legalizing illicit drugs, and offer his opinion as to whether drugs should be

The War on Drugs is a deep-rooted controversial campaign of prohibition and military aid that has been disputed for many years. There are constant debates as to whether there will ever be a viable solution to the problem. However, as we continue to pursue the “war on drugs,” it has become increasingly evident that “winning” the war seems to be an impossible task. Drug prohibition and the undertaking of the war on drugs have stirred much controversy over its moral and logical implications. While there are many drugs that exist that are unhealthy when abused, it has become apparent that the drug policies in the United States, as well as many parts of the world, are inconsistent and oppressive. Ironically, drug laws were initially created for the good of society, but it has become increasingly clear that drug laws and our undertaking of the drug war have only served to cause problems. The current war on drugs has led to devastating effects on society both economically and socially. Violence and corruption have subjugated throughout the United States, Mexico and many other parts of the world. Additionally, drug prohibition efforts have had very little impact on the supply of illegal drugs and have had little to no success in reducing the demand for illegal drugs. The war on drugs, which is fueled by corruption and propaganda, needs to come to an end for the betterment of society.

The war on drugs has been a failure. The war on drugs has failed because the government spends millions of dollars on trying to stop people from using drugs but the government has not stopped them from using them. The government has spent 1 trillion since Nixon declared war on drugs and 51 billion dollars each year from incarcerating people. A total of 2.3 million people are in prison for drug related crimes. This is more than anywhere else in the planet. Drug use and overdoses are still the same. Many people say that if drugs were to be legalized, drug use would increase dramatically. This was not the case in Portugal. Portugal decided to decriminalize all drugs in 2001. Many people feared that this would collapse the country, but in fact the opposite happened. Prisons were not overrun anymore. It is safer for the government to decriminalize all drugs because this way all the drugs are not in the hands of the drug dealers, they are in the hands of the government. This is safer and better because now the government knows who is buying the drugs and how much that individual is using. The consumer also knows what he or she is consuming. This is not the case with the drug dealers where an individual does not know what he or she is getting. Many people say it is not fair for people to go to jail for nonviolent crimes such as

America’s illicit drug problem is very similar to the alcohol probation problems of the 1930’s and the only way to win this war and end all the violence was to take the radical approach of legalization, the same holds true for winning the War on Drugs today. Former Federal Judge and advocate for legalization Judge Sweet (2009) stated in his article “The elimination of much of the criminal prohibition on illicit drugs replaced by strict regulation of the drug sales similar to those of alcohol is an option for winning the War on Drugs.” The fact is the War on Drugs has lasted for over forty years cost trillions of dollars with no results. Suddath (2009) points out “The U.S War on Drugs was started under President Nixon in 1971 at a cost of $2.5 trillion dollars fighting this war with no end in sight.” The human, monetary and social cost of the War on Drugs with no real progress being made the uncomfortable answer remains will the Unites States government ever change course on our drug policies. It is about the law of supply and demand, and the only real solution is to consider the legalization of illicit drugs to stop the violence and monetary cost of fighting this war.

In recent years the so-called “war on drugs” has taken over the streets and back alleys of suburban America. It has caused a problem that mirrors the prohibition days of the 1920’s and early 30’s. Politicians trying to play “tough guy,” are only contributing to more violence. Their laws have created an underground drug-trade, in which modern drug-dealers have taken the place of the bootleggers of old. The real question is whether or not this “war” is working. Most people would like to believe that it is, and there are a few statistics that show it has. But just watch any news program, and you will see this war has failed miserably. Drug-related crimes happen constantly in today’s society, and in recent years have involved increasing

The so-called “War on Drugs,” as declared by the Nixon administration in the signing of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, marked the beginning of the current era of mandatory minimum sentencing, racism, privatized prisons, and a powerful constituency that profits as a result of the prohibition of drugs. Psychoactive substances have been apart of the human experience as long as humans have walked the earth. There is little hope that drug production will ever be curtailed, so long as there is a demand; a demand that has remained steady even though it has been forty years since the beginning of said war. As Judge James P. Gray from the Superior Court of Orange County has so plainly put it: “Where did this policy

The War on Drugs is a current conflict that has been going on for many decades. It is a movement organized by the United States Government in attempts to reduce the amount of illegal drug trafficking in the country. The War on Drugs enforced strict drug policies that are intended to reduce both the production, distribution, and consumption of illegal drugs. The term was first used by President Richard Nixon, during a press conference concerning the nationwide drug abuse issue, in which Nixon announces to the Congress that drug abuse was, “public enemy number one”. Illegal drugs are certainly dangerous; addiction and death are two but many factors as a result of drugs. However, even though the War on Drugs might sounds justifiable, in truth, it is actually making the drug issue worst in the country.

The “War on Drugs” is the name given to the battle of prohibition that the United States has been fighting for over forty years. And it has been America’s longest war. The “war” was officially declared by President Richard Nixon in the 1970’s due to the abuse of illegitimate drugs. Nixon claimed it as “public enemy number one” and enacted laws to fight the importation of narcotics. The United States’ War on Drugs began in response to cocaine trafficking in the late 1980’s. As the war continues to go on, winning it hardly seems feasible. As stated by NewsHour, the National Office of Drug Control Policy spends approximately nineteen billion dollars a year trying to stop the drug trade. The expenses shoot up, indirectly, through crime,