Should America Need More Drugs Than Everyone Else? Essay

There are a variety of stakeholders that have influence over the abuse and exploitation of controlled prescription medication, some are supporters and some are opponents. All levels of government are aware of this epidemic and have a role to play in supporting the reduction of controlled substance abuse. According to the latest numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 1999 to 2009 the number of deaths from narcotic pills almost quadrupled to 15,597, more than the combined number of deaths of heroin and cocaine abuse. “A renewed focus on drug prevention is a major component of the Obama Administration's effort to implement a public health approach to reducing drug abuse and its consequences. Research shows that preventing drug use before it begins is a cost-effective, common-sense approach to promoting safe and healthy communities.” (Community-based prevention, 2012) The government can play a critical role

The war on Drugs played a heavy role in minority American society. It affected policing and most importantly the American minority people. The war on drugs started by President Nixon and up until President Bush was a disaster that affected America with high incarceration and high recidivism rates for low level and non-violent drug offenses that mainly targeted minorities in America. The war on drugs was a massive American failure that mainly affected minorities. President Obama and his drug reform alongside the American public’s strong opinion to switch towards marijuana reform which we see in places like Colorado and Washington has caused the war on drugs to lose steam. The American public’s decision for drug reform is no surprise after nearly 40 years of the unsuccessful war on drugs.

Here in America, there is an ongoing tragedy ceaselessly unfolding right before our eyes. Beyond the calamities of gun violence, the loss of innocent lives through ruthless crimes and deadly motor vehicle accidents, there is a crisis occurring in the very homes of many Americans. There is a proceeding addiction to the pill bottles hidden behind bathroom mirrors, needles poking through the surface of fragile skin to get a “fix”, and prescriptions being written left and right with the intention to help but the potential to kill. Here in America, over 115 people die every single day from overdosing on opioids and this is a reality that has been nothing short of deadly since as early as 1990.

Something is wrong with the focus on the "drug war" when 200,000 people die each year from prescription drugs, yet only 20,000 die from illegal drug use. Adverse reactions of prescription drugs are the third leading cause of death in America. In fact, people have a seven times greater chance of dying walking into their doctor's office than they do getting behind the wheel of their car! Every year approximately 200,000 souls die from prescription drug reactions with another 80,000 dying from medical malpractice (The International). Where is the FDA? Why do they continue to allow doctors to prescribe these drugs? How could they let it get to this point? What once was believed to be a

As a nation we face a serious enemy that is not on foreign soil but here at home. The drug problem in this country has truly affected many lives and families. This enemy has no limits and affects our domestic tranquility. All drugs should not be legalized because they have the ability to impair judgment and do much bodily harm. Drugs have been a dark shadow lingering over our country for many years. In recent years, the heroine epidemic has spread throughout the nation; it has taken many lives and hurt many families along the way.

We in America tend to take medications for almost any problem we have, from headaches to gastrointestinal pain, to more serious chronic disorders such as depression and attention deficit disorder. While many of the uses of such medications may be necessary and legitimate, many are not, and due to this fact, many people become dependent on medications, mentally, and or physically. This problem is not simply the fault of the individual; in fact, the blame can also be placed upon the medical community, and the pharmaceutical companies who produce the drugs. How often can one turn on the television to see advertisements for Claritin, Aspirin, Pepto-Bismol, or even Zoloft or Ritalin? The pharmaceutical industry is motivated by monetary

Opioids are taking over the United States with its addictive composition, once patients are take opioids there is no escaping. The drug directed from opium which is obtained from a plant (Katz). Opioids are most commonly found in prescription pill from making underground sales more common. Since opioids are derived from a plant this makes the reality of home grown drugs more of an issue. American citizens overdosing on opioids is what is sparking the crisis because opioid “overdoses killed more people last year than guns or car accidents” (Katz). Opioids are extremely addictive and that is why so many citizens overdose on these types of drugs. After patients become hooked on opioids their body constantly is needing more and more opium to escape they pain they think they are enduring. The overdosing of Americans is not a small percentage of the population either, it is estimated that “over two million people in America have problem with opioids” proving this growing issue is an ongoing crisis (Katz). The United States government needs to take action immediately to the opioid crisis because doctors are overprescribing patients because they seemingly overreact to pain, and opioids are one of the most addictive drug types in the world.

Even though people need their prescriptions, the abuse of them is getting out of control and we need to find a way to regulate it better,because it can destroy a family, cause some to become addicted, or even kill them. Prescription drugs are no joke, they can be worse than illegal drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and even heroin. The only difference is a doctor can prescribe these types of drugs. The problem we run into with prescription drugs is there is not enough being done to keep the person from becoming addicted or them selling to others. In 2007 2.5 million Americans abused just painkillers (Drug free world). That is not even including the other two types. Now it is starting to affect teens, one out of every ten teenagers admit to abusing a prescribed drug(Drug-free world).

Dangerous illegal drugs have plagued American citizens and their youth for as long as the country has been in existence. These harmful drugs are not only responsible for countless amounts of deaths, but the corruption of the American society in general. All too many times have these drugs been blamed for insanity, racism, rebellion, and straight up violence. Today the government is spending approximately $19.179 billion in one year to combat these evils (Gifford). Unfortunately, even with all of this effort going in to stop illegal drug use, the “War on Drugs” is yet to produce almost any positive results. Because of this, politicians are urging the government to spend even more money to combat the seemingly

In the United States of America, there is prescription drug abuse epidemic that continues to be a growing concern. Prescription drugs cause a large amount of overdoses and result in an abundant amount of deaths each year. A government study conducted shows this epidemic is scarily on the rise, “A recent government study found a 400% increase in prescription drug abuse between 1998 and 2008” (Schreiner 531). The excessive use of prescription drug abuse is leading to nonmedical use of the drugs, and creating addiction. Furthermore society is paying an extreme amount of money in this battle. With this drug abuse on the rise, legislators must create a law preventing doctors and pharmacists from over prescribing prescription medications as well a law to require they both participate in drug monitoring programs to prevent drug abuse. Now is the time that doctors and the pharmaceutical industry must be held accountable for their role in causing one of America’s worst addictions. The over medication of prescription drugs in the United States must be brought to an end by legislators creating laws to stop

Should drugs be legalized in the US Why or why not, the truth if the matter is; drugs are already legal in the US. We have prescription medicines that are more addictive than recreational drugs, and let us not forget Bacardi Rum 151, which could probably jump start an engine, and we drink it, with or without a chaser. We give our kids Ritalin, and any other drug for ADHD and ADD, which by the way did not exist before the late 1990s, and the early 2000s, and nobody seems to think we were creating a generation of substance dependent adults (when Big Momma had a natural cure for this ailment, a switch). Any substance that alters your thinking should be regulated, however, it is a proven fact, that an addict will ingest anything, that will

I, like the vast majority of people, disagree with proposition that drugs should be legalised. Accepting this act would be the same like taking money from people for killing them. We don‘t need legalisation, we need to fight against it, try to save people who are standing on the edge of a precipice, not to push them from it.

It’s 2014 and America is still wasting its money and resources. Drugs. Illegal Drugs to be more specific. The emotions that this simple word initiates in many people are so real that it has become a major focus in our culture. It seems as if everyone has their own opinion on the topic of drugs; negative, positive or perhaps neither. Who is to say which is right? Most opinions towards drugs are not without bias, and most were formed from pre-existing experiences and beliefs. People who don’t use recreational drugs don’t do so because of the health risks; people who do use drugs would whether or not they are legal. Right now drugs are looked at like a forbidden fruit not meant to be tried unless you are ready to face the outcome, but why are they looked at in this way? Some drugs are illegal largely for historical or political reasons and there is little or no evidence of their abuse or of any use at all. Peyote as an example has no record of significant abuse, and krokodil is virtually unknown in the States. The government needs to regulate sales on some of these drugs and place a tax on them to terminate the organized crime element of illegal drug sales. The United States is worried that regulating drugs will cause a sharp rise in drug use and abuse, however no statistics stating this is true have been released.

Americans have come to rely heavily on medicine. There is a pill for every problem we can think of and we are allowed to ask for a specific drug from our physician and even demand it. In reality, all of these drugs and medicines can cause a lot more harm than treatment. “There has also come the appalling realization that adverse drug reactions-due in large part to well-intentioned but irrational prescribing-are now responsible for a million or more hospital admissions annually in the United States alone, tens of millions of days of prolonged hospitalization, thousands of preventable deaths, and the resultant expenditure of billions of dollars each year”(Silverman) . The instant we feel a pain or think we have some sort of social issue we do

There is a serious problem that is affecting our nation everyday. The drugs that are coming to the U.S. Is killing our people. We need to start using our resources to stop this major problem. 24.6 million Americans from ages 12 and older have used illicit drugs in the past month says an article in the drugbase.gov. This facts are from 2013, so odds are that that number is increasing everyday. The drugs that are coming into this nation from other countries are killing our people and the people in other countries as well. The US should be the one to handle this epidemic that has been plaguing us for decades. In 2014 there were 47055 from drug overdose in just the United States and worldwide there were 187100 deaths says an article from overdoseday.com. This is a major problem all around the world. The Untied States need to start working with other nations to deal with