1971 marked the year in which the single greatest policy failure in recent history came to fruition: President Nixon's War on Drugs. The War on Drugs has been described by many politicians and advocates alike as something that has left a terrible mark upon the United States and the rest of the globe. Being one of the longest running policies to date, there is still no foreseeable end to this uphill battle. The War on Drugs is a fruitless and wasteful battle based on false pretenses which negatively affects everyone, leaving communities vulnerable and damaged. The War on Drugs has been tremendously ineffective at stopping drug use and production. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, approximately 49% of all people in the United …show more content…
An obvious and unignorable example of this would be the very rapid rate in which newer and much more dangerous drugs are being sold and consumed in communities throughout the United States. Nowhere is truly safe from these dangerous synthetic drugs, which are a direct result of criminalization of substances that are harmless in comparison. In Woodbury, a 17-year-old girl named Tara Fitzgerald died after overdosing on a drug called 25i-NBOMe. The drug was sold to her as LSD, which is nearly impossible to overdose on (5 Charged). Cases like these show how dangerous new synthetic drugs can be, and how they can send shockwaves through communities in which teenage overdoses are nearly unheard of. Other drugs such as fentanyl and its counterpart carfentanil, opioids which are hundreds of times more potent than heroin, demonstrate the absolute worst of the War on Drugs. The introduction of these chemicals into the flow of illicit drugs has exponentially increased the danger of using (Crawford). Lacing heroin with fentanyl is a lucrative business - such low doses being mixed into heroin make the high very potent with a lower cost for drug dealers and manufacturers. The extremely low doses in which fentanyl and its counterpart are active in the system makes it very dangerous for first responders and bystanders who approach overdose victims. According to The Tyee, "As a dust, it could be inhaled or attach to mucous membranes, like the tongue, with almost instantly fatal effect."As with 25i-NBOMe, the introduction of these drugs onto the street is directly caused by drugs like heroin and other opiates being illegal for the public to use
While the War on Drugs may have been portrayed as a colorblind movement, Nixon’s presidency and reasoning for its implementation solidifies that it was not. Nixon coined the term “War on Drugs” in his 1971 anti-drug campaign speech, starting the beginning of an era. He voiced, “If there is one area where the word ‘war’ is appropriate, it is in the fights against crime” (DuVernay, 13th). This terminology solidified to the public that drug abusers were an enemy, and if the greatest publicized abusers were black, then black people were then enemy. This “war” started by Nixon claimed it would rid the nation of dealers, but in fact, 4/5 of arrests were for possession only (Alexander, 60). Nixon employed many tactics in order to advance the progress
Heroin is one of the most dangerous drugs in the world. When using heroin, people run the risk of developing serious “infectious diseases” such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis (The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), 2014, para 10). Above all, heroin use often results in death. The DEA Strategic Intelligence Section (2016), who prepared the 2016 National Heroin Threat Assessment Summary claims that heroin is the most fatal drug compared to other drugs because heroin related deaths occur at a much higher rate. In 2014 cocaine users outnumbered heroin users by about three and a half to one, yet there were twice as many heroin related deaths compared to that of cocaine (p. 9). One of the main causes of the large amount of death is a result of what dealers are lacing their heroin with. Fentanyl, a drug that is considered “50” to “100” times stronger than morphine (NIDA, 2016, para 1), is being used by dealers to mix in with their heroin in order to increase its effects and the quantity of their product. Because of how strong fentanyl-laced heroin is, the possibility of overdosing rises, which is the effect that numerous addicts seek out to attain. In the article “Spiked”, written by Maggie Lee (2015), Lieutenant Rick Mason from the Atlanta Police Department emphasizes, “… if somebody OD’s, that’s who [heroin addicts] want to buy their heroin from because it’s the strongest and it must be the best” (para 22). Heroin addicts chase the powerful batches, often asking around for the dealer selling the batch that is causing mass overdoses. Their high tolerance for heroin lead them to believe that they will not fall victim to a deadly overdose until it is too late. When these users consume what they think is their normal dose, the fentanyl kills them. Those unable to receive prescription medication from a doctor will argue that heroin is a cheap way to relieve pain. While heroin may help to
When societies finally become comfortable with reality, they begin to abandon the murderous laws that impede their growth. Currently, the social stigma and legislated morality regarding the use of illicit drugs yield perhaps the most destructive effects on American society. Drug laws have led to a removal of non-violent citizens from society- either directly by incarceration or indirectly by death - that is genocidal in quantity and essence.
An important application is how tipping points and trend lines apply to the present status and future course of the war on drugs. According to Webster’s dictionary, a war is the “organized effort by a government or other large organization to stop or defeat something that is viewed as dangerous or bad” (Merriam-Weber’s online dictionary, n.d.). Most people will unanimously agree that drugs and alcohol are bad and at least potentially dangerous, especially in the case substance abuse. Alcohol, drugs, and synthetic substances are associated with crime, violence, moral decay, brain damage, higher high school dropout rates, a multitude of health issues, and a myriad of other societal issues. As a society, Americans actually pay a high toll for substance abuse. The bill for tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug abuse costs Americans more than $600 billion annually in areas such as crime, unemployment, loss of productivity, and health care cost ( National Institute on Drug Abuse, n.d.). Based upon these facts, it ma...
My preconceived expectations prior to conducting this research was that the “war on drugs” is no...
“[The war on drugs] has created a multibillion-dollar black market, enriched organized crime groups and promoted the corruption of government officials throughout the world,” noted Eric Schlosser in his essay, “A People’s Democratic Platform”, which presents a case for decriminalizing controlled substances. Government policies regarding drugs are more focused towards illegalization rather than revitalization. Schlosser identifies a few of the crippling side effects of the current drug policy put in place by the Richard Nixon administration in the 1970s to prohibit drug use and the violence and destruction that ensue from it (Schlosser 3). Ironically, not only is drug use as prevalent as ever, drug-related crime has also become a staple of our society. In fact, the policy of the criminalization of drugs has fostered a steady increase in crime over the past several decades. This research will aim to critically analyze the impact of government statutes regarding drugs on the society as a whole.
The biggest question people ask is if the “war on drugs” was successful. According to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), “The goals of the program are to reduce illicit drug use, manufacturing and trafficking, drug-related crime and violence, and drug-related health consequences.” The best way to measure the effectiveness of the “war on drugs” is to focus on these basic questions; Is drug use down? Is crime down? and Are drugs less available? Since 1988, drug use by individuals ages 12 and over has remained stable according to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). The number of individuals reporting any drug use has increased by approximately 7 million and the number of those who reported drug use in previous months or previous years has remained unchanged. The Organization Monitoring the Future studies drug use, access to drugs, and perspectives towards drugs of junior and senior high school students nationwide. Results of a study conducted in 2005 showed a minor decline in substance abuse by older teens, but drug use among eighth graders stopped remained the same. However, the changes were not statistically significant and ultimately there was no reduction in substance abuse among young students. Crime in the United States has decreased significantly since 1993, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. On the other hand,
The war on drugs in our culture is a continuous action that is swiftly lessening our society. This has been going on for roughly 10-15 years and has yet to slow down in any way. Drugs continue to be a problem for the obvious reason that certain people abuse them in a way that can lead to ultimate harm on such a person. These drugs do not just consist of street drugs (marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy), but prescription medications as well. Although there are some instances where drugs are being used by subjects excessively, there has been medical research to prove that some of these drugs have made a successful impact on certain disorders and diseases.
58% of overdoses are caused by medicine. For 1 death: 10 people are admitted for treatment of drug abuse, 32 ER visits for drug abuse, 130 abuse prescription drugs, and 825 are nonmedical prescription drug users. 1 in 10 drug abusers actually get treatment for abuse. Prescription drugs sales have quadrupled over the last 15 years. Around 75-90% of overdoses are accidental, 20% are suicide, and 10% are unknown. Where do people get the drugs they are using? 55% from friends and family, 10% buy from family or friends or from a dealer, 20% are prescribed from a doctor, 5% took without asking or stole, and 10% other reasons. Reported users range from 16-24 years old. Around 365 people younger than 45 die from overdose, while 320 people 45 and over die from overdose. Overdose deaths have increased tremendously from 2008-2012. Overdose deaths in 2008- 638, 2012- 686. Prescription and illicit drug deaths in 2008- 47, 2012- 72. Death by illicit drugs in 2008- 94, 2012- 95. Death by prescription drugs in 2008- 496, 2012- 520. Since 2009 drug overdose deaths have increased by 33%. Overall New England was ranked 1st having the highest drug overdose rate. 55% of overdose victims are male, while the remaining 45% are female. 91% of victims are white. In Rhode Island (2012) 119 of 182 victims of overdose (65%), involved prescription drugs, alcohol, or other drugs. The highest death causing drugs include: Xanax (222), Oxycodone (175), Methadone (1...
The world has many different issues, and without them the world would be a perfect place. An issue that causes a lot of controversy is drug abuse. Though the world can never be a perfect place, humans still need to do our best to make in inhabitable as possible, and drugs cause a lot of harm towards humans. Therefore, it is my belief that the first thing that needs to be fixed should be drugs and their abuse. Many possible solutions to this problem exist.
In the early 1980s, policymakers and law enforcement officials stepped up efforts to combat the trafficking and use of illicit drugs. This was the popular “war on drugs,” hailed by conservatives and liberals alike as a means to restore order and hope to communities and families plagued by anti-social or self-destructive pathologies. By reducing illicit drug use, many claimed, the drug war would significantly reduce the rate of serious nondrug crimes - robbery, assault, rape, homicide and the like. Has the drug war succeeded in doing so?
Most Americans regard illegal drugs as one of the nations’ most serious problems, but two generations after the “war on drugs” began, disagreement remains on what should be done.
In the past fifty years, the War on Drugs has shifted its focus of ensuring well-being of our nation towards the mass imprisonment of drug users. Along the way, there has been an abundance of issues and criticisms that comes with the War on Drugs. The American Governments’ War on Drugs is a preposterously ineffective method in preventing drug use, and should be replaced based on its deep impact on our society, our economy, and the hypocrisy behind the war itself.
Nearly the entire world has been waging an unsuccessful war on drugs for the majority of the last century. The war on drugs has many victims, from those who are dead due to gang related violence, those who have been killed by law enforcement for being on the wrong side, and those who are locked up for possession. The war on drugs desperately needs to move away from the costly and failed actions being taken under status quo policies. Thankfully, there are some countries who have already made this move and there is much we can learn from them.