The Increase in Drug Use in the United States Essay

For many years, drugs have been the center of crime and the criminal justice system in the United States. Due to this widespread epidemic, President Richard Nixon declared the “War on Drugs” in 1971 with a campaign that promoted the prohibition of illicit substances and implemented policies to discourage the overall production, distribution, and consumption. The War on Drugs and the U.S. drug policy has experienced the most significant and complex challenges between criminal law and the values of today’s society. With implemented drug polices becoming much harsher over the years in order to reduce the overall misuse and abuse of drugs and a expanded federal budget, it has sparked a nation wide debate whether or not they have created more harm than good. When looking at the negative consequences of these policies not only has billions of dollars gone to waste, but the United States has also seen public health issues, mass incarceration, and violent drug related crime within the black market in which feeds our global demands and economy. With this failed approach for drug prohibition, there continues to be an increase in the overall production of illicit substances, high rate of violence, and an unfavorable impact to our nation.

If you are a drug user, do you have trouble in remembering what you were doing while you were taking drugs? Are you interested in going to a party that drugs are available? Have you ever hurt yourself for no reason? Do you often say or do things that hurt your friends and parents? These are early signs of drug abuse. Try to understand the true nature of drug use, and learn how to say no to temptations and enjoy a healthy life. Remember, taking drugs is always the worst and the naivest thing in the world. Think twice before someone invited you to join him or her. Think twice before you want to find excitement through drugs. Think twice before you curious of

Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs with various other law enforcement and intelligence gathering agencies, including the ODALE, was given the responsibility of enforcing the nation’s federal drug laws. It’s enormous sphere of influence is reflected in its Mission Statement which states among other things; “The mission of the Drug Enforcement Administration is to enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States and bring to the criminal and civil justice system of the United States, or any other competent jurisdiction, those organizations and principal members of organizations involved in the growing, manufacture, or distribution of controlled substances appearing in or destined for illicit traffic in the United States…”(15) The DEA was designed as an American agency with an international agenda.

In an attempt to demonstrate the absurdity of the drug abuse problems in the United States, it should be brought to light that the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use Health estimated that “27 million people aged 12 or older have used an illicit drug in the past 30 days” (Hedden, Kennet, Lipari, Medley, & Tice, 2015). As gun violence has become a popular topic in America over the past few years due to its’ related deaths, many Americans’ fail to realize that more people are dying from drug overdose than by weapon. In today’s society, controversy regarding drug abuse has taken a forefront due to various media outlets in our technologically possessed world. In order to grasp the underlying issue of drug abuse in the United States, it is imperative to observe the media’s effects on adolescents in a technologically and socially consumed digital age, how family and peers correlate with drug abuse, and whether or not drug abuse effects criminal activity.

Cocaine, also known as coke, is a very strong recreational drug. It is usually snorted, inhaled as smoke, or injected into a vein. A recreational drug is a drug that is used to induce an altered state of mind for pleasure. People usually feel the effects within seconds to minutes of use and they last between five and ninety minutes. After cannabis, cocaine is the most used illegal drug in the world.

In present time, recreational drug use in the United States has become a widely recognized topic that has generated a large amount of research over the years, which makes it a topic well worth discussing. Statistical findings show distinct trends that reveal important information on not only the types of drugs being abused, but

The war on drugs in America has been fought since the 1880s when the Chinese Exclusion Act was first passed by congress. Several pieces of legislation have followed this initial volley in this war up to present day. Statistics from 2011 showed there where 1.6 million state and federal prisoners (Guerino, Harrison, & Sabol, 2011) according

Drugs have been used throughout the world for thousands of years, whereas drug use has existed here in the U.S for a little over a hundred years. Regardless of the time of existance or when and why they were created, drug use is and has always been a major problem throughout our society. From the opium addicts of the late 1800s (The Drug Policy Alliance, 2016), the Rock and Roll heroine addicts of the 1960s and 70s, to the creation of a more affordable cocaine-like drug called "crack" in the 1980 's, drugs have consistently been proven to contribute to criminal behavior, signifancantly change individuals, warp relationships, ruin lives, and even end them. Since this realization, the justice system of our country has taken many different approches to combating drugs and the problems that they create.

Another study, titled Monitoring the Future, conducted research to compare the change in the amount of Ecstasy being used by High School students in 1999 and 2000. Results showed that Ecstasy use increased from 1.7 percent to 3.1 percent among 8th graders, from 4.4 percent to 5.4 percent among 10th graders, and from 5.6 percent to 8.2 percent among 12th graders (MDMA 2). A study conducted by the Community Epidemology Work Group (CEWG) has also reported that MDMA is the most prominent stimulant used in Chicago, and it is the drug of choice among white middle class young adults in Washington D.C.. The most startling fact, however, is that tablets seized by the Drug Enforcement Administration has increased from 13,342 in 1996 to 949,257 in 2000 (MDMA 2). An increase of this magnitude in such a short amount of time has researchers worried, and scrambling to find information on the potential risks of the drug.

During the nineteenth century, it was known that the United States could do as they pleased when it came to drugs. This era included unlimited distribution, sale, and promotion of psychoactive drugs during this period. Living in the nineteenth century was known to be a “dope fiend’s paradise” due to the medicinal and recreational drug use.

Controlled substances, or harmful drugs, have been an issue to the United States since they began outlawing them. The first outlawed drug was in San Francisco in 1875, and it prohibited people from smoking opium (dried latex from the opium poppy). Soon after, more drugs came along, and they too became outlawed by the government. Cocaine, heroin, DMT (Dimethyltryptamine), and marijuana are some of the few substances that have been outlawed in the United States. However, these banned drugs are making a bigger problem now than before they were outlawed. Not only are they still being used and sold by several people today, but crime rates related to drugs have been rising steadily. People are becoming more interested in drugs as they hear about

Starting in the 1980s, the very strong drug called Ecstasy has become a comprehensive “marketing” phrase for dealers selling similar drugs that may contain little to none of the

In today’s society, a variety of people are searching for freedom. The most common way for people to escape and gain freedom is drugs. Throughout the years, American society has had a tremendous

Every citizen of the United States has been affected by drug abuse. Be it directly or indirectly we have all felt the negative effects on our society, our economy, and our safety. Why do Americans abuse drugs? There seems little progress toward an answer considering illicit drug use has gone from 8.3% to 9.4% since 2002. Clearly, we are no closer to a solution than we were fourteen years ago.

Drugs have become a big problem in today’s society especially in today’s youth. It has caused so many deaths and violence within the community that it is well known what drugs are in society and the effects of it. Even though many people know the effects and outcomes of drugs they still continue to use it and sometimes never realize their life is hitting rock bottom. Some people use drugs as a doorway to get away from stress, and or to be socially acknowledged in which then leads them to get hooked causing them to sidetrack into more crime since some need the drug so bad it makes them have to commit a crime to be able to buy the drug they need. Drug users report greater involvement with crime and are more likely for nonusers to have criminal records, persons with criminal records are much more likely to be drug users more than others, and crime rise when drugs rise (Chiaken and Chiaken, 1990).