Long Term Effects Of The War On Drugs

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.

The American “War on Drugs” war created to keep an exorbitant amount 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 pertaining to drug use and punishment has increased significantly. In the modern era, especially hard times have hit minority communities thanks to these drug laws. While being unfairly targeted by drug laws and law enforcement, minorities in America are having a difficult time trying to be productive members of society.

For most of our history, drug use has been legal for recreational, religious, and medicinal purposes. During the 19th century, opium, morphine, and cocaine could be purchased over-the-counter to treat medical conditions such as menstrual cramps, teething pain, coughs, depression, and even addiction (Hellerman). On December 17, 1914, the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act was introduced which heavily restricted the use of narcotics, and was based on racial fears and discrimination. The drafters of the bill stated that “negroes under the influence of drugs were murdering whites, degenerate Mexicans were smoking marijuana, and “chinamen” were seducing white women with drugs” (Huggins). Regardless of the restrictions placed on narcotics, the 20th century followed the

The war on drugs is a movement that had started in the 1970s and is still evolving from today. Over the years, people have had mixed reactions to the campaign, ranging from full-on support to claims that it has racist and political objectives. People who are affected by drugs are the people you use them and have gotten addicted to the substances that they started using for medical or recreational purposes. The war on drugs has many challenges attached to it but there are five possible solutions that can hopefully end the war on drugs.

America has had a war on drugs for over a century, and the battle continues on today. For years now drugs have destroyed lives, homes, and caused violent crimes in the communities. The number of deaths due to over dose from heroin has increased since the year 2010. Bloomberg business article written by John Tozzi states that “More than 8,200 Americans—an average of 23 people each day—died of heroin overdoses in 2013. That's according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and it's the latest evidence that the nation's heroin problem is becoming more severe. The rate of overdose deaths in 2013, the CDC report states, is almost triple what it was in 2010.” That is a lot of numbers, yet even though the drug trade can be profitable

The “War on Drugs” has been a hot topic for several decades in the United States. The argument for the success of this campaign usually varies depending on one’s political affiliation. The government handled the ongoing campaign differently with each new administration taking command, most of them having no little success. The fact of the matter is that the ideal of a “drug free civilization” is far from reality. The world is coming to terms that the various drug-fighting programs across the world are not producing the desired results. In fact, UN Office on Drugs and Crime doesn’t publicly aspire to reach a drug-free world. That wishful scenario seems very close to impossible at this moment. The office biggest claim to fame is that that the international drug markets have stabilized, which is not very optimistic.

The War on Drugs had its official start during the Nixon administration when the president declared that drug abuse was now “public enemy number one.” Since then, over one trillion dollars have been spent on various programs to combat drug abuse. Ultimately, however, the War on Drugs did not limit national daily drug use. Instead, the War on Drugs had a greater impact on the United States’ justice, education, and healthcare systems than it did to limit citizen drug use.

(CASA, 2008). On June 19, 1986 Len Bias, a top-notch NBA draft pick was found dead of a crack cocaine overdose. His death prompted media turmoil and it was not long before the authorities came to realize that cocaine was accessible to black people in the form of “crack cocaine.” In a matter of weeks, Congress passed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986. As a result of the Act, mandatory minimum sentencing for precise amounts of cocaine was enacted. Simultaneously, law-makers established tougher sentences for crack cocaine but not for powder

The current policy in use by the United States concerning illegal drugs is both outdated and unfair. This so-called war on drugs is a deeply rooted campaign of prohibition and unfair sentencing that is very controversial and has been debated for many years. The war on drugs is designed so that it will never end. This current drug was has very little impact on the overall supply of prohibited drugs and its impact on demand seems non-existent. United States’ taxpayers are spending billions of dollars on this failure of policy. They are spending billions to incarcerate drug users instead offering drug treatment which could help lower demand. Legalizing illicit would lower abuse and deaths from use and could have a positive economic impact on the United States. Certain industries are making massive sums of money by capitalizing on the drug war.

What lead to the failure of the War on Drug? To answer that we need to know about the War on

the United States is currently spening $40 billion a year on the "War on Drugs." In reality, there is no "War on Drugs;" in our history, the only thing we see is the various conflicts amongst users and various dealers. While most controlled substances are highly addictive, the deadly encounters and conflicts that arise from the distribution and selling of the substances are far more deadly than the drug itself. If legalized, the United States could regulate the distribution and tax it as any other merchandise.

The problem I want to explore is how the War on Drugs has become a social problem. This is a social problem because it has created an overpopulated prison system disproportionately filled with people of color and the poor. The current rate of illegal drug use among African Americans and Whites is almost the same while a little less among Latinos (7.4 percent, 7.2 percent, and 6.4 percent, respectively) (Moore, L. D., and Elkavich, A., 2008). But because white people make up a larger portion of the U.S. population, the number of white drug users is much greater than that of drug users of color. Data from 1998 tells us that Whites made up 72 percent of all illegal drug users while African Americans made up 15 percent of illegal drug users (Moore

The War on Drugs, a coined phrase by Richard Nixon, has been an issue that has caused a lot of pain and suffering for law enforcement and those affected by drugs. According to the documentary, The House I Live In, 2.3 million Americans are behind bars, that is 5 percent of the world’s population. 500,000 of those individuals are incarcerated because of a nonviolent drug crime. 2.7 million Children have a parent behind bars; however, for every child that has a parent in jail, there is also a child with a parent in law enforcement attempting to uphold and defend the law. Some believe drugs are the number one threat to America, while others argue that the War on Drugs is the number one threat to America; however, the correct

According to Michelle Alexander, why and how has the “war on drugs” developed over the last 40 years? What are the main political and economic factors that led to the war on drugs, and what are the main political and economic factors that shaped it as it developed over the last four decades? Draw on material from the Foner textbook chapters 25 through 28 to supplement Alexander’s discussion of the political and economic context.

The War on Drugs has led to an increase in the mass incarceration of people of color and minorities, which is a problem in the United States. In the past thirty years, the number of females jailed across the country, many of whom are poor with mental health and drug problems. The increase in the incarceration of females has had a devastating impact on their children, families and communities. This paper will describe the authors of Upper Bunkies Unit and Orange Is the New Black who wrote their respective books about the same prison, the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, a low-security female prison. Both books contain many themes, such as broken families, limited services available and substance abuse treatment. This paper will also explore many factors influencing the success or failure of incarcerated females in reintegrating after their release from prison. Literature will be used to provide insight into the lives of females behind bars by focusing on their well-being and resources available. In addition, the current trend in treatment, such as substance abuse and mental health treatments will be discussed. Lastly, collateral consequences will be explored.