Why Do Cops Need To Crack Down On Drugs

rate and cities are struggling to find solutions. The CDC reports that 27,000 people die each year due to heroin overdoses. The jails are filled with offenders, that once released go out and use again, continuing a cycle of insanity without producing answers. Youths experiment with drugs, which is nothing new, but the availability of heroin, meth and the lack of education has contributed greatly to this epidemic. No one seemed to be paying any attention until it reached epidemic proportions, or as some have suggested, became "a white middle class problem" that surpassed the poor minority population.

This literature review will focus mainly on the drug use of heroin, the scary numbers behind the drug and the sudden rise of overdosing on the drug across the United States. Issues that will be discussed are what is Heroin, what’s in Heroin that makes it addicting, how it can increase the users risk of contracting other life threatening diseases and where it’s use and abuse are most popular across the United states and we will take a look at multiple studies that show examples of our new drug problem in the United States. While we looked at how homicide rates have dropped while in class, the flip side to that is that the amount of drug usage has risen.

If you watch the news it should come as no surprise that drug abuse and overdoses have increased dramatically in the United States. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, as many as 36 million people abuse opioids throughout the world with 2.1 million in the U.S. who currently suffer from opioid abuse disorders (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2014). These astonishing numbers are only marginalized when comparing them to opioid related deaths in the United States. With an increase of 137 percent since 2000, deaths from drug overdoses now occur 1.5 times more often than deaths from motor vehicle accidents (Rudd Aleshire, Zibbell & Gladden, 2016). The opioid epidemic in the

Additionally, opioid medications are the primary cause for overdose deaths in the United States. According to the Weekly Standard, “In 2014, the most recent year for which we have measurements, 47,055 Americans died from drug-induced deaths, with almost 29,000 dying from opioids…” (2), a figure that includes illicit synthetics, heroin, and prescriptions. From 2015 to 2016 in Maryland, fentanyl deaths rose by 268 percent and heroin deaths by sixty eight percent. Fentanyl has contributed to this dramatic increase in OD deaths because of its potency and lethality. It only takes two milligrams of fentanyl to kill a human. In fact, a single kilogram of fentanyl is capable of killing 500,000 people (Murray, Blake, and Walters 2). More than 30,000 opioid deaths occurred for the first time ever in 2015, which is 5,000 more than in 2014. Since the 1990s, heroin deaths had not surpassed prescription opioids (oxycodone and hydrocodone) until now. In 2007, gun homicides outnumbered heroin deaths at a rate of five to one, however at the height of the epidemic, now heroin OD deaths outnumber gun homicides (Ingraham 2). It is obvious that these unprecedented levels of drug deaths are derived from the opioid epidemic and need immediate attention.

In 2010, 1,344 citizens perished as a result of drug use. This is comparable to the number of citizens who died in accidents involving firearms and motor vehicle accidents.

There is a total of about 250,000 illegal drug use deaths yearly around the world. (Statistics on Drugs n.d.) Drug overdose was responsible for 41,340 deaths in the US in 2011. It is estimated that more than 70,000 lives were lost to drug overdoses in European Union countries in the first decade of the 21st Century. European Union nations reported 6,100 overdose deaths in 2012. Nearly four Australians die every day from overdose. Overdoses out-numbered road fatalities in Australia in 2012. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics overdose deaths totaled 1,427 in 2012.

In Anika Reed’s article “Drug Abuse”, it is reported that between 59,000 and 65,000 people died from drug related overdoses last year. In fact, it is a 19% increase from 2015, which is the most substantial annual increase ever recorded. Not only that but opioids, heroin and painkillers, took a major part in that statistic by raking in a whopping 33,000 Americans, and for the first time in recent history heroin surpassed gun homicides. This is a rather alarming set of statistics, each of these deaths affected not only loved ones but the humans who serve to save these lives. Consequently, in 2014, opioids were responsible for 1.27 million emergency room visits, 99% rise since 2005, and impatient care which was also a 64% increase (Reed). Ultimately, overdose related deaths are only going to continue unless we as country pull together and fight against addiction

Despite its decline throughout the '80s, drug use has been rising since 1992.  While, 13 million people use some illicit drug each year (5 percent of the U.S. population), over 37 percent of Americans have used drugs at one time or another, despite their illegal status.  Use among twelfth graders increased between 27 percent and 40 percent between 1992 and 1997.2    15,000 people died of drug abuse in 1998, compared to roughly 400,000 from smoking and 100,000 from alcohol.3   What's more, a significant number of drug overdoses are the result of poor quality drugs - often poisoned in the process of dealers maximizing profit by diluting and substituting ingredients.  There has never been one recorded death from the use of marijuana.

Illicit drug use in the United States continues to rise. In 2014, 27 million people reported using an illicit drug in the previous 30 days (Ebbert 19). More specifically, the United States is experiencing an epidemic of opioid prescription drug abuse which has been growing since the mid 1990s and continues to do so. In 1999, 16,849 people died from opiate or heroin drug overdoses (American Society of Addiction Medicine). In 2016, that number skyrocketed fourfold to 63,632. Opioid overdose deaths, which have been the main driver of the increase in drug overdose deaths, have increased almost 300% (ASAM). Though the epidemic is affecting all sections of the population, adolescents have been

In 2002 and 2014 the drug overdose epidemic spread significantly in America. The addiction to prescription painkillers and heroin is a major problem. Prescription painkillers and heroin are a serious problem that affects health, society, and the economy. In 2002, the death rate was 4 to 8 deaths per 100,000 people, compared to 2014 that reached its peak, with a death rate 16 deaths per 100,000 people. Prescription painkillers and heroin can have a negative impact in many different ways and is the cause of many drug overdoses.

Furthermore, it is estimated that in 2016 approximately 948,000 people used heroin, and over 15,000 users died from heroin overdoses (United States Department of Health and Human Services, 2018). However, in my personal experience as a police officer, I have seen the same person overdose on heroin three times in a two-week period and that individual was saved each time by paramedic administering naloxone HCI (NARCAN); therefore, the death totals due to overdose statistics provided are skewed by this lifesaving

Heroin users and overdose deaths are on the rise. Especially among young middle-class white citizens (Seelye, 2015). Why is the amount of heroin users rising and how is the government handling this epidemic? There is a strong correlation between the increase of prescription painkillers and the amount of heroin users. “People who are dependent on prescription opioids are 40 times more likely to abuse or be dependent on heroin” (Seelye, 2015). One of the main reason there has been a recent increase of heroin users in the last decade is because there has also been an increase of prescription opioids such as OxyContin. And the government has never tested a way to stop the increase of drug users other than harsh

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

However, everything comes at a price, the short-term health effects are: constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, nausea, raised temperature and blood pressure, faster heartbeat, tremors and muscle twitches, and restlessness. The long-term effects of cocaine depend on how it is taken. If it is snorted effects include: loss of sense of smell, nosebleeds, frequent runny nose, and problems with swallowing. Ingesting orally leads to severe bowel decay from reduced blood flow. If it is injected, the effects include higher risk of contracting HIV, hepatitis C, and other bloodborne diseases. However, those who use non-needle forms of cocaine are still at risk for STDs because cocaine affects one’s judgement so one may lead to unsafe sexual behavior. Long term effects shared by all forms of cocaine include: being malnourished due to cocaine’s appetite suppressing properties, movement disorders such as Parkinson’s, irritability, restlessness, and severe paranoia which can lead to the loss of touch with reality and cause auditory hallucinations. Along with all the previously mentioned effects, if someone becomes dependent on cocaine, withdrawal symptoms include: depression, fatigue, increased appetite, nightmares, insomnia, and slowed cognitive function. I personally know someone who has tried cocaine and here’s what they said on the matter:

Drugs are a very strong controversy and people have such strong opinions about whether or not they should be legal or not. I don’t have a strong opinion on this topic, I am easily swayed to either side. For the most part though, I think that they should be legalized because people already do them anyways and will continue to do them. If they were legal then the government could regulate their usage and sale then the government was receiving the profits rather that the drug dealers.