The War On Drugs And Drug Abuse Resistance Education

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.

After getting the public support for his campaign, America saw an unprecedented rise in its incarceration rate, particularly among African Americans. The “ War on Drugs ” has had a disparate impact on the black community even though blacks and whites use drugs at approximately the same levels. This is achieved through a myriad of formal and informal practices. African-Americans are targeted and prosecuted at a much higher rate even though they are not statistically any likelier to abuse or sell drugs than the white population.

In the past forty years, the United States has spent over $2.5 trillion dollars funding enforcement and prevention in the fight against drug use in America (Suddath). Despite the efforts made towards cracking down on drug smugglers, growers, and suppliers, statistics show that addiction rates have remained unchanged and the number of people using illegal drugs is increasing daily (Sledge). Regardless of attempts to stem the supply of drugs, the measure and quality of drugs goes up while the price goes down (Koebler). Now with the world’s highest incarceration rates and greatest illegal drug consumption (Sledge), the United States proves that the “war on drugs” is a war that is not being won.

The War on Drugs is one cause for the mass incarceration that has become apparent within the United States. This refers to a drastic amount of people being imprisoned for mainly non-violent crime (“Mass Incarceration” 2016). In addition to people who are not an immediate threat to society being locked up for a substantial duration of time, the economic consequences are costing states and taxpayers millions of dollars. Specifically, every one in five people incarcerated is in prison due to some

Before we begin our tour of the drug war, it is worthwhile to get a couple of myths out of the way. The first is that the war is aimed at ridding the nation of drug "kingpins" or big-time dealers. Nothing could be further from the truth. The vast majority of those arrested are not charged with serious offenses. In 2005, for example, four out of five drug arrests were for possession, and only one out of five was for sales. Moreover, most people in state prison for drug offenses have no history of violence or significant selling activity.5

The Drug Policy Alliance is an organization dedicated to making reforms to US drug laws, abolishing the failed the war on drugs, and advocating for harm reduction strategies. Located on their website, the article "Race and the Drug War", cites several troubling statistics and everyday realities that link the drug war to racism and discrimination. Among these, the fact that despite the rates of drug use being similar across racial lines, black Americans are more than three times as likely to be arrested for drug crimes. This is due to the fact that low-income, predominantly black neighborhoods are heavily patrolled for drug activity while higher-income neighborhoods are less scrutinized. The aim of the article is meant to persuade the reader

The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program known as D.A.R.E has become a very widespread and popular program throughout the United States. The program appeals to all ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic lines, which is a large part of the reason why the DARE program has grown exponentially. The program’s basic premise was meant to introduce kids to the danger of drugs, before the drugs got to them. The implementation of the DARE program appeared to be what America needed to begin to put a dent in the war on drugs.

The American “War on Drugs” war created to keep an exorbitant number of people behind bars, and in a subservient status. First, America has a storied history when it comes to marijuana use. However, within the last 50 years, legislation of drug use and punishment has increased significantly. In the modern era, especially difficult times have hit minority communities thanks to these drug laws. Minorities in America are having a difficult time being productive members of society due to unfair drug laws and law enforcement.

D.A.R.E. Program called Anti-drug and Alcohol education program created in 1983 to help educate young people about the ills in which stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education Which calls for the early education of adolescents, which originally started by educating young kids but in recent years it changed to include k-12 but focusing on 5th and 6th graders. The program was designed to keep underage youth away from drugs and alcohol because it was believed then that drug and alcohol usage was on the rise in the United States which lead to the major funding to the program by our government. The D.A.R.E education program has been one that garnered much attention in the 1990’s and early 2000’s because of much positive feed back from both education officials and parents. It was believed that substance abuse was a national issue and should be taken care of at a national level. It was believed that in the United States drug abuse was a major issue among young individuals because it affects their minds and would cause it was believed a major mind effect among young children and may mess up their school performance or mess up their life in general. Once it became a focus of D.A.R.E 80% of schools nationwide in the United States and over 40 Nations worldwide it’s focus was to implement this program and shoot for Long term successes by educating the youth it would need at least a decade to figure if this specific program was effective. This program was offered to every youth in

The purpose of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program was to provide an educational teaching tool that would encourage and provide resources to combat drug use, peer pressure and hopefully prevent early entry in the juvenile justice system. Furthermore, these refusal tactics were aiming to help kids say no to drugs. Also, another purpose of this program was to improve kids social skills and enhance their self-esteem in hopes that it would deter unhealthy behavior and actions.

D.A.R.E stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education.I learned that when you use drugs it can do very harmfull things to your body. It can do things like lung cancer,death and sometimes a stroke.When we were acting It helped me understand what to do because we got to make up our own skits.When we were using the drunk goggles it showed me that I don't ever want to be drunk especially while driving. I couldn't even catch a ball. There were some very sad parts in the D.A.R.E video but it also showed what drugs can do to you.My favroite thing about D.A.R.E is when we tried the drug goggles and when we did mini showes. I liked the drunk goggles because it was fun to try to catch the ball. Also when we did the skits it was fun to create and act it.When

Rydell and his colleagues found two programs that successfully reduced drug use rates. One of them is “Life Skills”, which was implemented in 1985 (Rydell, 23). Method of teaching was based on delivering information, promoting social skills and strengthening students’ resistant factors with the purpose to reduce drug use (22). Based on the results, which were observed in twelfth grade, the program was effective in reducing drug use in experimental group to one-third compare to control groups (23).

The War on Drugs in the United States has a profound influence on both the incarceration rates and activities of the criminal justice system. Many politicians and advocates of the policy claim that the War on Drugs is a necessary element to deter criminal behavior and reduce the crime rate. However, studies show that drug deterrent policies on possession and use have been inadequate and unsuccessful (Cole & Gertz, 2013). Studies also show that the War on Drugs has not attained its objectives because the policy exhibits racial discrepancy as it has led to the disproportionate incarceration of Blacks and minorities. Specifically, evidence indicates that the upper class, generally White individuals, is more likely to use powered cocaine while

Communication and interpersonal skills was obviously crucial to this position. To illustrate, I was instrumental in defusing an escalating gang dispute within one of our housing development areas. I observed an increase in activity in the area and the children were constantly saying they were afraid. The neighboring school contacted me directly and I arranged for an assembly of the children from the neighborhood and actively listened to their concerns. After compiling information gathered from the neighbors, children, and business owners, I advised the commander of the district and presented a possible solution. Consequently, a positive outcome was attained, these individuals were removed from the community and encouraged to move from the city.

Officer Owen has taught us very many important things through the D.A.R.E. program. D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. This program is for students in 3rd, 4th, 6th, and other grades. During DARE lessons, a police officer comes to our school and presents to us in our classroom while we take notes in DARE workbooks. DARE usually happens once a week at our school.