The Correlation between Drug Use and Crime: Prevention

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The Correlation Between Drug Use and Crime: Prevention
“Drug use is associated with an outstanding 20-40 percent of criminal activity in the U.S. today” (Keene, 2005, p.3). The use of illicit drugs can almost always be considered when discussing property crime, theft, burglary, murder, rape, aggravated assault, etc. There is a significant relationship between drug abuse, of both legal and illegal substances, and the effects it has on crime. The major correlations between drugs and crime portray primarily in heroin, cocaine, pcp (Phencyclidine), and opiates. However, alcohol even though it is legal, has an impact on crime more than most people realize. Ordinarily much prevention to include the increase in rehabilitation centers, heightened levels of law enforcement, stricter laws, and the legalization of illicit drugs may be tactics to limit drug use and crime.
Definition of Drug Use and Drug Abuse
Drug use is simply defined as the consumption of drugs or prescription medications, to include alcohol. Drug abuse is defined as an habitual use of drugs to alter one's mood, emotion, or state of consciousness. Abuse can result in significant impairment, failure to fulfill social or occupational obligations, or situations which are physically dangerous, lethal or could end in legal problems.
Legal Drugs
The legal drug alcohol, is more commonly abused than we know. Consuming more than one drink an hour is considered binging or abuse. Alcohol abuse can have devastating effects on a person’s judgment. Several effects of abuse can include impairment, disruption of normal brain function and misjudgment of social cues, which could primarily lead to aggravated aggression.
Illegal Drugs
Furthermore, illegal drugs that have a significant or...

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...Cocaine, PCP, and Alcohol) have led to more crime then citizens want to believe, actions are being taken in support of the War on Drugs. Either the actions being presented are a more stable and efficient law enforcement, cleaning and ridding the streets of the drug related crime, or a rise in the advancement and growth of drug rehabilitation centers across the country. Furthermore, the relations between drugs and crime are decreasing more each year, providing hope towards this nation’s growth and stability. Prevention, and the correlation between drugs and crime, are the backbone to make the stand against the seemingly never ending “black hole” illegal drugs bring upon this world each day. With law enforcement and the help of the public and every defense mechanism that can be used towards drug prevention, one day there will be a light at the end of the dark tunnel.

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