During the early twentieth century, a popular topic of debate was alcohol and drug use and its impact on society. Alcohol and various drugs have been used for thousands of years. The properties that went along with this use, and the addiction factor were always present, but they were not seen in the same light as we are used to today. It is quite standard, and frankly, just accepted that addiction is not a positive factor to society, and that something needs to be done to help addicts, or at least stop them. It is a disease. Drug and alcohol addiction used to be regarded as, if anything, a bad habit. It would be better if people did not do it, but there was not the concept of needing to get help or treatment for those that were battling with …show more content…
In the anti-drug material that was being distributed by the American government (mainly through the provocation of Harry Anslinger, chief of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics 1930-1962 (Anti Narcotic Campaigns)) there were implications that various drugs were coming from different regions of the world with the either purposeful or nonpurposeful intent of corrupting the social order of the United States, or even the political system and the stability of the nation at that time. Some even went as far as to say “of all the plagues visited upon our land, drug addiction is by far the most horrible and the most deadly… It is inconceivable that the greed of two or three countries should be permitted to corrupt and destroy the civilization of the world” (Anti Narcotic Campaigns). This only furthered the policymaker’s and public’s belief into the idea that drugs and also alcohol needed to be seriously controlled. It would turn out, “controlled” would go on to mean …show more content…
Many people, however, understandably saw this as war on blacks and minorities instead. This can be applied to the regulation of drugs and alcohol in the 1920s and 1930s. The outlawing and targeting of drug users was not revolutionary to the 1970s. That was just the first time the term “war on drugs” was used in the mainstream. Many marijuana and opium users were of African American descent, and centered around the Harlem Jazz Age. Society at the time associated illicit drug use with three main people groups: the African Americans, the immigrants, and communists (The War On Drugs). Drugs and the Harlem Jazz Scene. This is evident in many of the songs produced out of there, which reference various
The term addiction can be interpreted in many ways, concering both illegal and legal substances. Not only can one become addicted to a substance, but also activities like gambling, shoplifting, and sex. Prior to considering addiction, one must first understand what constitutes a substance. Levinthal (2002) describes a drug as a chemical substance that changes the functioning of the body when ingested (4). Although illegal drugs may come to mind when hearing this definition, alcohol and tobacco fit under this criteria as well. For the purpose of this essay, controlled and regulated (licit/legal) substances will be focused upon. Alcohol is a regulated substance that can be thought of as a social drug (Levinthal, 2002, p.192) and arguably tobacco
America's War on Drugs: Policy and Problems. In this paper I will evaluate America's War on Drugs. More specifically, I will outline our nation's general drug history and look critically at how Congress has influenced our current ineffective drug policy. Through this analysis, I hope to show that drug prohibition policies in the United States, for the most part, have failed.
According to a source on the Internet entitled Alcohol and Drug Treatment: The Disease Concept Of Substance Abuse and Addiction, the idea of drugs and alcohol being a disease is a “very controversial and debated topic. ” For the purposes of this essay, I am forced to agree that drug addiction is a choice. People get high and drink because they want to and if they are not careful they can become an addict. The research I found on this particular topic seemed to have the most support and facts to dismiss the idea that addiction is a disease. I also beeivle if there was enough evidence to support the idea of addiction being a disease it would not be such a controversial topic.
Because drug addicts are considered a deviant group, they fail to conform to societal norms. Although, it is imperative for every society to have conflicts. This is what allows America to function. This theory could be studied by Functionalist, like Emile Durkheim. Drug addicts cause many problems within the country. Without them, functioning would be a whole lot harder. There would be no problems to solve. Functionalists examine the role certain groups play in society and how each group balances in society. Even though they still play a major role in modern day society, drug addicts still fail to conform to many societal norms.
A “drug-free society” has never existed, and probably will never exist, regardless of the many drug laws in place. Over the past 100 years, the government has made numerous efforts to control access to certain drugs that are too dangerous or too likely to produce dependence. Many refer to the development of drug laws as a “war on drugs,” because of the vast growth of expenditures and wide range of drugs now controlled. The concept of a “war on drugs” reflects the perspective that some drugs are evil and war must be conducted against the substances
Christian organizations had a meeting with congress and made a claim that drug abusers were hazardous, wicked individuals. These groups thought that the drug use among foreign individuals like the Chinamen and corrupt Mexicans were a threat for the American born individuals. These groups convinced Congress to criminalize drugs. One-hundred years ago some drugs was legal to possess and even children could buy drugs like morphine, opium, marijuana, and cocaine. These drugs if got caught with them today could result in a life sentence it today’s society.
The United States has a long history of intervention in the affairs of one it’s southern neighbor, Latin America. The war on drugs has been no exception. An investigation of US relations with Latin America in the period from 1820 to 1960, reveals the war on drugs to be a convenient extension of an almost 200 year-old policy. This investigation focuses on the commercial and political objectives of the US in fighting a war on drugs in Latin America. These objectives explain why the failing drug policy persisted despite its overwhelming failure to decrease drug production or trafficking. These objectives also explain why the US has recently exchanged a war on drugs for the war on terrorism.
It is not uncommon to view drug addiction as a problem that is created and maintained by the drug addicts. Most of
Drug usage demonstrated how Americans lived a rebellious life style. Drugs would be used for medical and non-medical reasons. Consequences of the unbridled use of drugs cannot be measured precisely (The Sixties in America). This displayed how Americans no longer were concerned about the consequences for their actions. Drugs can take a big toll on one’s body if over used too much. During the 60s, non-medical consumptions tended to be confined largely to the artistic and minority communities (the Sixties in America). With many citizens in poverty, they would reach out to drugs as a method to get their minds off of their circumstances. Artist would use drugs as a way to further enhance their ideas for an artistic demonstration. Drug consumptions woul...
Drug abuse and addiction are issues that affect people everywhere. However, these issues are usually treated as criminal activity rather than issues of public health. There is a conflict over whether addiction related to drug abuse is a disease or a choice. Addiction as a choice suggests that drug abusers are completely responsible for their actions, while addiction as a disease suggests that drug abusers need help in order to break their cycle of addiction. There is a lot of evidence that suggests that addiction is a disease, and should be treated rather than punished. Drug addiction is a disease because: some people are more likely to suffer from addiction due to their genes, drug abuse brought on by addictive behavior changes the brain and worsens the addiction, and the environment a person lives in can cause the person to relapse because addiction can so strongly affect a person.
would like to give you a small background of the impact of substance abuse on the
When things are done in a way that have a negative effect on them or those around them, I feel the need to change these things. According to Ferri, drugs have affected many people and many societies at different magnitude (Ferri FF, 2010). Drugs have a negative effect on the health the person involved. In some cases, the effects are adverse and lead to loss of life. Some individuals have misled their families as a result of drug consumption. They have affected their family 's income negatively leading to poverty. As a result, it is advisable to take drug matter serious and put efforts into changing the current situation and aim at achieving a drug free nation. The young people should be educated on dangers of drug abuse so that through them, a generation free from drugs may be achieved.
Perhaps most substance abuse starts in the teen years when young people are susceptible to pressure from their peers. One of the main concerns when dealing with substance abuse is the long term problems with substance such as addiction, dependency and tolerance. The physical state of an individual, who is addicted to a substance, will deteriorate over a long period of time. This is due to the chemicals that are being put into an individual body. One of the most important aspects of the effect of substance abuse on society includes ill health, disease, sickness, and in many cases death. The impact of substance abuse not only affects individuals who abuse substances but it affects our economy. Our government resources are negatively impacted by individual who abuse substances. According to (Lagliaro 2004) the implication of drug users extend far beyond the user, often damaging their relationships with their family, community, and health workers, volunteer and wider
Alcohol and drug abuse is one of biggest problems in United States today. It is not only a personal problem that dramatically affects individuals' lives, but is a major social problem that affects society as whole. "Drug and alcohol abuse", these phrases we hear daily on the radio, television or in discussions of social problem. But what do they mean or what do we think and understand by it? Most of us don't really view drug or alcohol use as a problem, if that includes your grandmother taking two aspirins when she has a headache or your friends having few beers or drinks on Saturday night. What we really mean is that some drugs or alcohol are being used by some people or in some situations constitute problem with which our society must deal. It becomes a real problem when using or I should say abusing drugs cause accidents, antisocial behavior, broken relationships, family instability, crime and violence, poverty, unsafe streets and highways, worker absenteeism and nonproductivity, and the most tragic one death. The situation in which the drug or alcohol uses accurse often makes all the difference. The clearest example is the drinking of alcohol, when individual begins to drink during the job, at school, or in the morning, we have evidence that indicates a potential drinking problem. If a person takes narcotic drug because he just wrecked his knee while his physician prescribed playing football and the drug, most of us would be not concerned. If, on the other hand, he took the same drug on his own just because he likes the way it makes him feel, then we should begin to worry about him developing dependence. Even use of illegal drugs are sometimes acceptable, but it also depends on situation, for example in some countries smoking marijuana is legal just like drinking alcohol in United States. Some subcultures even in United States that accept the use of illegal drugs may distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable situation, some college age groups might accept marijuana smoking at a party on weekends, but not just before going to a calculus class. Most of people would accept a fact that a bartender or a waiter who is working at a night club is having a beer or a drink on his break or that a landscape worker is having a cold beer with his lunch on a hot summer day. I'm not saying that it is "OK" but we wouldn't complain a...
The use of drugs is a controversial topic in society today. In general, addicts show a direct link between taking drugs and suffering from their effects. People abuse drugs for a wide variety of reasons. In most cases, the use of drugs will serve a type of purpose or will give some kind of reward. These reasons for use will differ with different kinds of drugs. Various reasons for using the substance can be pain relief, depression, anxiety and weariness, acceptance into a peer group, religion, and much more. Although reasons for using may vary for each individual, it is known by all that consequences of the abuse do exist. It is only further down the line when the effects of using can be seen.