The Cost Of Substance Abuse In Canada Case Study

In Canada, the amount of illegal drugs on the street increased by 89% in the last 10 years and expenditure from illegal drug sales are over $7 billion dollars annually. It is no doubt that Canada is in the midst of a war on drugs, but is Canada’s current approach working? In 2011, the mandatory minimum sentencing for drug possession doubled, and didn’t include legislation for those special circumstances, such a mental illness.

People today are blinded by the clouds of drugs. Just within the 2015 year over, 47 thousand Canadians deaths were linked to substance abuse. Canadians are aware of the dangers connected to taking part in this practice, however, we do not want to accept it.

The issue of drug policy is one that has plagued our society for decades now, and will continue to linger until we finally become proactive make some bold decisions. With over twenty thousand deaths each year, in Canada alone, due to illicit substances , this is a problem that must be addressed immediately. Many people know where to turn when they have alcohol addiction issues, most turn to Alcoholics Anonymous for example. Smokers are also offered many incentives and advertisements that deter smoking and help them in their struggle to quit. But, there has been no major campaign or well known foundation to seek help in if you are having problems with other drugs such as heroin, cocaine, LSD, or marijuana. Our problem in Canada is that these drugs are seen as merely a judicial and criminal issue, rather than a public issue which affects each and every one of us in society. In this essay, I will prove that the decriminalization, by the government of all drugs and implementing education on drugs instead will lead to a decline in drug related deaths and social issues.

Canada’s Drug Strategy (CDS) is an initiative controlled by the Canadian federal government that emerged in 1987. The CDS addresses the many harmful effects substance use can have on not only an individual but families and communities as well. The CDS believes that substance abuse has a negative impact on health, social life, safety and economic conditions. The CDS has four pillars: prevention, treatment, harm reduction and enforcement. The program attempts to solve the issue of substance abuse by decreasing the popularity of harmful drug use, the number of Canadian youth experimenting with drugs, the frequency of contagious diseases related to substance abuse, the illicit drug supply, new and emerging drug trends, avoidable health, social

Substance abuse can occur with legal drugs like alcohol, tobacco and prescription medications, illegal drugs that are purchased on the street, or prescription drugs used for reasons other than health. Alcohol is the most frequently used legal drug, and cocaine, heroin, and marijuana are the most commonly used illegal drugs. Each drug has precise effects on body systems. Some drugs can lead to acute and chronic problems; some even can cause death. Nurses are among the few health care professionals who assess and care for substance abusers. As such, they should be equipped to distinguish the symptoms of substance abuse and put into practice measures to support and help these people (Bailes, 1998).

There has shown no decline since 2012 in use of the six illicit drugs (cannabis, cocaine or crack, speed, ecstasy, hallucinogens or heroin) as well as no decline in the five illicit drugs (cocaine or crack, speed, ecstasy, hallucinogens or heroin) (“Summary of results for 2013 CTADS”). We aren’t preventing and recovering fast enough, and just as many people how are recovering are starting to use. 23% of youths 15-19 and 27% of young adults 20-24 are users of illicit drugs (“Summary of results for 2013 CTADS”). This means that there is a high amount of youths that are taking drugs. Along with the drug problem in Canada, we also have a major problem with alcohol. 76% of Canadians report using alcohol in the past year (“Summary of results for 2013 CTADS”). 60% of youths aged 15-19 and 83% of young adults aged 20-24 have reported alcohol use(“Summary of results for 2013 CTADS”). Teen are using drugs and alcohol from a young age giving them a high chance to become alcohol dependent from a younger age. Showing drugs and alcohol abuse is a major problem in Canada among the younger

One major change in the category of the substance-related disorders is that DSM–5 uses an overarching concept “substance use disorder” rather than two distinguished concepts in DSM–IV, which are “substance abuse” and “substance dependence.” As the diagnostic categorization changed, two sets of criteria – 4 aspects for “abuse” and 7 aspects for “dependence” – are replaced with a single set of criteria – 11 aspects for “substance use disorder” – with 3 levels of severity (mild: 2-3, moderate: 4-5, or severe: 6 or more) sub-classification. The contents of criteria are almost same, however, a criterion of legal problem is omitted and a new criterion that asks craving to use the specific substance is added. Another change is that DSM-5 classifies 10 classes of substances in addition to 1 addictive disorder whereas DSM-IV-TR recognizes 13 classes of substances. For example, DSM-5 puts together Amphetamine-Related and Cocaine-Related Disorders into Stimulant-Related Disorders with sub-categories (Amphetamine-type, Cocaine, or other stimulants). On the other hand, for almost all substance-induced disorders, the same criteria of intoxication and withdrawal are used in both DSM-5 and DSM-IV-TR (e.g. Alcohol intoxication, and alcohol withdrawal).

“Substance Use Disorders” are new to the DSM-5. Previously, the terms “abuse” and “dependence” where used instead. In general, the DSM-5 considers a Substance Use Disorder to be recurrent drug use that causes impairment and continued use, despite substance use related problems. The DSM-5 also focuses on how substance use causes a change in brain functioning. The change is primarily responsible for intense drug cravings, as well as repeated relapses. Finally, the DSM-5 divides use into four groups, including impaired control, social impairment, risky use, and pharmacological criteria (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

Saskatchewan needs to focus on the “achievement of individual and collective goals consistent with justice, and the attainment and preservation of conditions of fundamental equality” (Feather 250). This can be done through strengthening the community, the improvement of social programs and provider skills, and in empowering our Northern communities (Feather 252). As discussed earlier, Canada focuses on the enforcement of drug and substances rather than on prevention. Social costs by alcohol abuse may have some bearing on what types of programming are available (Adrian 321). Major health concerns and other problems within our communities caused by alcohol become a strain on resources (Global News 2017). Alcohol abuse resulted in 77,000 hospitalizations in Canada in 2016 (Global News 2017). In Saskatchewan, hospitalization rates were 44 per cent higher than the national average (Global News 2017). Instead of spending money on imprisonment and medical costs, the money could instead be spent on prevention and advertising the negative impacts of alcohol consumption. Alcohol has become a major issue in our society cementing the importance of education and communication. In treating alcohol as the primary cause instead of a secondary factor, society can begin the conversation. People need to look within their communities, provinces and country about how alcohol has not only affected them as an individual, but the world that they live

According to Drugs, Society, and Criminal Justice, substance dependence and substance abuse are identified by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) as two specific behavioral conditions (Levinthal, 2012). It is important to distinguish the difference between substance dependence and substance abuse, as substance dependence is when a person feels compulsive in the continuation of a drug and substance abuse shares the same principles, except the person continues to take the drug with disregard to the negative impacts the drug will cause (Bethel, 2012).

Stevens & Smith (2013) ascertain that alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs have cost $180-$484 billion dollars annually, yet that dollar estimate does not include what damage it causes to the family and victims of substance abuse users. In contrast, research indicates to use caution when deciphering the costs of substance abuse due to new data that is constantly changing (Single, 2009). Furthermore, some associated costs may not be reported because medical community is constantly evolving and potential links to deaths caused by substance abuse is continual (Single, 2009). What cannot be measured is the damage to the substance abuser’s family relationships and friends. The stress the abuser places on their family may also cause more rising health costs that could possibly remain unreported in the overall cost assessment. Literature suggests that approximately one-half of United States citizens reported that up to three family members had firsthand knowledge of someone related to them having a substance abuse problem (Hussaarts, Roozen, Meyers, Van de Wetering, & McCrady, 2012). Additionally, it has been calculated that for every individual with a substance abuse problem, up to five close relatives or friends will be negatively impacted in various life areas (Hussaarts, et. al. 2012). Therefore, there is a dollar amount associated with the effects of substance abuse as well as causing a multitude of problems for the abuser’s

Drugs are mind altering chemicals that changes the way a person thinks. The effect of the controlled substances alters a person’s mood and perception and has the potential to get people into trouble. Abuse of controlled substances should be treated as a health problem primarily because it changes human behavior. It interferes with an individual’s ability to make well considered decisions. Drug addiction is a brain disease which changes the brains structure and change how it works. Mental illness is associated with the brain. Therefore one can say abuse of controlled substances is a mental health condition that changes a person’s thinking, feelings, or behavior. Addiction is a disease but one of choice and consequences. People who suffer from addiction have medical issues. For example some drugs when abused are toxic and may damage the brain or nervous system, drug abuse and mental illness co-exist.

It is ill-fated that numerous individuals within our community and global suffers from the effects of alcohol dependence. There are countless issues linked with this dependence and several times it’s not solitary the object that deals with the habit but also the individuals in close involvement with the individual.

The abuse of drugs and alcohol has been a growing problem nationwide. This problem usually starts during a person’s teenage years and grows into a vaster problem during a person’s adulthood. In the United States these problems have seem to expand over the years in each coming generation. For instance, a growing problem that the current generation is facing is the use and abuse in prescription drugs. Also, there has been a movement in drugs such as from powder to crack. Additionally, many other issues have been discovered as an effect of this substances being used such as defects in the children of pregnant woman that consumed the substance while pregnant. With an increase of substances there has also been an increase in movements to stop

Substance-related Disorders: Relate to disorders of intoxication, dependence, abuse, and substance withdrawal caused by various