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History of drugs essay
Drugs in America abstract
Drugs in America abstract
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Americans have been experimenting with drugs since the 19th century, it wasn’t until the 20th century that addiction and dependence started to become a problem that the country continues to try to deal with it today. Asian immigrants were associated smoking opium; crack/cocaine and heroin was associated with blacks; latinos and hispanics were associated with marijuana; methamphetamine in the 1990s was associated with homosexuals and poor white people. Racial tension against these unwanted groups and wanting them out of society has been what stirred up a major push for trying to get rid of these drugs. There is no denying that many of the laws that lead to the creation of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act were racially motivated. These drug laws have greatly decreased the use of drugs like crack/cocaine and heroin but prescription drugs are still an ever increasing problem. Marijuana, acid, and heroin were being used liberally in the 1960s by a generation that embraced drugs as part of a new cultural movement. Later in 1969, studies would link drug use with crime. People looked to the government to aid the situation. In 1970, the Narcotics Treatment Administration was founded to try to control drug use. That same year President Richard Nixon established the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act, he coined it “the war on drugs”. Title II of this act, the Controlled Substance Act, brought together many laws passed since the Harrison Narcotics tax act of 1914. It put drugs into categories called schedules in accordance with their potential for abuse. The CSA also set forth regulations on who and how these drugs would be handled and also put into place harsh penalties for the illegal h... ... middle of paper ... ...g and more focused now on the maintenance of physical security and strict records for many drugs. The DEA mainly concerns itself now with diversion of drugs from pharmacies, doctor shoppers, and prescription forgers. Government websites like deadiversion.usdoj.gov have established drug diversion programs. US drug laws are continuously changing with advances in technology. The use of technology and online resources have been the biggest help to tracking and stopping illegal prescription drug use. Obtaining prescription drugs now requires the use of technology and it makes it harder for people to get away with the illegal handling of prescription drugs. With better treatment available for drug abusers and the health industry being proactive in following laws, policies, and procedures, prescription drug abuse can be greatly slowed and hopefully minimized one day.
Prescription and pharmaceutical drug abuse is beginning to expand as a social issue within the United States because of the variety of drugs, their growing availability, and the social acceptance and peer pressure to uses them. Many in the workforce are suffering and failing at getting better due to the desperation driving their addiction.
Substance abuse is just one of the problems facing the United States today. Even though it seems like a big problem, it actually first started in the 1800’s when the first drugs were smuggled. This only began the never ending path of illegal drugs flowing through the U.S.
Drugs have been influencing the ideas, culture, and music of America for ages. Illicit narcotics have left the Union in a state of immense debt. Anti-drug policies have been dumping billions upon billions of dollars in prevention, punishment, and rehabilitation. From the roaring twenties, to the prohibition, drugs have always been fought (Bailey). Most times, the drugs start off as medicines and end up being harmful (Morris). Perhaps, the most prominent and influential eras of drug use in America are the two decades of the 60’s and twenty years later, the 80’s. It may very well be that these two decades molded America into what it is now.
It was the late 19th century when a lot of conflict for families from the Industrial Revolution and illegal drugs had easy access to anyone in the United Sates. These illegal drugs like morphine, cocaine, and alcohol were available through manufacture, delivery, and selling. It was proved that the over use of alcohol and violence in families’ homes were linked together around the 1850’s and that women and children were being abused by the father and husband from the letters and journals that were wrote. These were times when women were stay at home mothers and it was the man’s responsibility to be the provider for the wife and children. Because of the abuse in the household it led up to the temperance movement. The purpose
The war on drugs began with the presidential term of President Nixon in the 1970s. According to drugpolicy.org, “He dramatically increased the size and presence of federal drug control agencies, and pushed through measures such as mandatory sentencing and no-knock warrants. Nixon temporarily placed marijuana in Schedule One, the most restrictive category of drugs.”
In June 1971, President Nixon declared a “war on drugs.” He dramatically increased the size and presence of federal drug control agencies, and pushed through measures such as mandatory sentencing and no-knock warrants. The war on drugs was viewed as a deterrent to help eliminate the use of illegal drugs and to decrease the transport and export of illegal substance from in and out of the State of California. Yet, as it did help with clearing the streets and reducing the use of drugs, it caused a significant increase in amount of offenders that were arrested and incarcerated for non-violent offenses. Due to these increased numbers, many would argue that the war on drugs failed the State of California, as it led to a significant amount of overcrowding in California jails and a greater financial burden for California
Illicit drug use and the debate surrounding the various legal options available to the government in an effort to curtail it is nothing new to America. Since the enactment of the Harrison Narcotic Act in 1914 (Erowid) the public has struggled with how to effectively deal with this phenomena, from catching individual users to deciding what to do with those who are convicted (DEA). Complicating the issue further is the ever-expanding list of substances available for abuse. Some are concocted in basements or bathtubs by drug addicts themselves, some in the labs of multinational pharmaceutical companies, and still others are just old compounds waiting for society to discover them.
Past and Current Trends of Drug Abuse in the United States. Drug abuse has changed over the years due to the trends that Americans face from the encouragement of different cultures. The abuse of substances creates many health problems. The following will discuss the past and current trends in drug use and the effects these drugs have on the health of the individuals who abuse the drugs. The use of cocaine in the United States has declined over the last twenty years, while the use of crack has increased.
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.
...d has cut down the illegal distribution of prescription drugs. It cuts down on medical costs for the patient by allowing the physician to view what insurance coverage the patient carries for certain medications and. providing lists of similar generic drugs. E-prescribing is just one part of U.S. government’s goal to gradually adopting standards facilitating the shift to all electronic medical records for citizens. Although it has only been available for a short time, electronic-prescribing has already made an impressively large impact on the medical field.
If drugs posed little or no threat to society, why were they prohibited? Initially, drug laws were enacted not to prohibit drugs, but regulate them. The Harrison Narcotics Act was, on its face, a reve...
The war on drugs and the violence that comes with it has always brought around a hot debate about drug legalization. The amount of violence that is associated with drugs is a result from harsher drug laws and prohibition.
Prevention and Control Act of 1970 was a milestone in strengthening the war, as it gave the federal government an upper hand in fighting drug abuse. In 1971, President Nixon declared that drug abuse was “the number-one public enemy,” and stepped up efforts directed at fighting the scourge. Besides enforcement of the law, the president emphasized the need to treat drug addicts. He also engaged celebrities in spreading the news about the negative effects of drugs.
The prohibitionist national policy towards drugs in U.S has been extremely contentious in the present times. After decades of the stance that costs billions how many each year, the paltry achievements and the countless negative externalities have led to a clamor for alternative policies instead of a “War on Drugs”.
Opium was introduced to America when Chinese immigrants came to California in the 1850’s to work in the gold mines and on the railroads (DEA Museum). It didn’t take long for American’s to become addicted to opium. Opium dens became common in communities and women and young people started to take pleasure in the far off land of euphoria that opium provided. Due to the overgrowing popularity and concern of the affects this drug had taken on the population, the government tried to implement taxes. “Initially, opium was taxed, then licensed, then discouraged, and ultimately made illegal for most uses under the Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914” (Drug Text)....