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effect of illegal drugs essay
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When people go to their doctors, they trust that these medical professionals have the knowledge necessary to prescribe a medication that will have no harmful interactions with any current medications or have any dangerous side effects that will cause more harm than help. People don’t pick up drugs that they find sitting on the side of the street and just start taking them without knowing exactly what they are putting into their bodies; however it is a frightening reality that people are unknowingly ingesting unknown pharmaceuticals in their drinking water. Nearly seventy percent of Americans are on at least one prescription drug, and more than half take two, according to Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Center researchers (Nearly 7 in 10 Americans). …show more content…
Prescription medication would still be present in the human waste being flushed into the sewer system, even though it would be in a more diluted form. In a rural area such as Bloomsburg, there is also the possibility that the hormones and antibiotics given to livestock will end up in their waste, which eventually enters the groundwater and water supply. Even with the possibility of eliminating prescription drugs from entering the environment via flushing these drugs down the toilet, it would be all but impossible to eliminate these drugs from entering the environment through human and animal waste. This is an example of nonpoint source pollution because it is nearly impossible to trace where drugs are coming from when they are entering the environment from virtually every household in the country. Being unable to trace the source of the pollutant makes it that much more difficult to prevent it from entering the environment and causing …show more content…
In a widely reported study of smallmouth bass from the Potomac River, male fish were found to have female ovarian tissue within their testes. In another study, fish exposed to wastewater from a metropolitan area sewage treatment plant exhibited endocrine disruption, i.e. male fish produced female egg-yolk proteins (Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products). To date, no studies directly link trace chemicals found in water with human health problems but there are countless reasons for concern. Could exposure to these minute amounts of drugs in our water cause drug resistance? Could one unknowingly ingest a drug to which they are allergic to simply by drinking water? And how do these trace amounts of drugs, which may not be harmful to humans, affect a
Many people throughout the world visit the United States every year to receive medical treatment. This is due to our excellent pharmaceutical industry as it spends million of dollars and many hours of research to come up with what we can only describe as “miracle” drugs and treatments. Part of the success of many of these medications is because the pharmaceutical industry is highly regulated by policies that protect the public from accessing drugs that have not been fully tested and found to be “safe”. However, this was not the case until the late 1990s and early 2000s. One time in history that highly influenced the strict regulations we currently have was the nationwide contamination of patients through blood transfusion or by consuming medications
Opiates are a class of drugs that are used for chronic pain. Opioids are substances that are used to relieve pain by binding opiate receptors throughout the body, and in the brain. These areas in the brain control pain and also emotions, producing a feeling of excitement or happiness. As the brain gets used to these feelings, and the body builds a tolerance to the opioids, there is a need for more opioids and then the possibility of addiction.
Almost everybody on Long Island, and probably all around the world, has been prescribed a drug by a doctor before— whether it was to knock out a nasty virus, or relieve pain post injury or surgery. However, what many people don’t realize is that these drugs can have highly addictive qualities, and more and more people are becoming hooked, specifically teenagers. But when does harmlessly taking a prescription drug to alleviate pain take the turn into the downward spiral of abuse? The answer to that question would be when the user begins taking the drug for the “high” or good feelings brought along with it—certainly not what it was prescribed for (1). The amount of teens that abuse prescription medications has been rapidly increasing in recent
The current unprecedented skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs is a historic event in healthcare. The privatization of healthcare has arguably moved the health care system from patient-centric to money-centric. The recent unsettling examples of price hikes for drugs that combat AIDs as well as EpiPen brand epinephrine have left many consumers wondering why these prices are so arbitrary. The conversation between Government and big pharmaceuticals is not promising when looking for reprieve in the cost of life saving drugs. Free market capitalism dictates that the government should play a small role in the privatized health care system; however, the government is also a purchaser of pharmaceutical goods due to entitlement programs. It is not unimaginable for the government to place restrictions on these corporations that are exploiting the ill for more profit.
... needs to be placed on research efforts to reduce the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the environment. Aquatic habitats such as the Great Lakes are almost always at the disadvantaged end because that is where effluent ends up. The basis of current regulations is the effect of said chemicals on human health and other public health threats as opposed to the environment. But as the Alliance for the Great Lakes reports, legislation by the concerned government agencies [U.S. EPA] is changing to include pharmaceuticals in pollutant regulation (15). Advocacy and community initiatives such as the Indiana-Illinois Sea Grant Community Project if continued will be pivotal in educating the public about the need to preserve or responsibly exploit our precious resources. Our motivation ought to be one of altruism: To protect our environment for the benefit of future generations.
...s are dangerous and toxic. Despite the precaution taken in supplementing these chemicals into water, there still exists the probability that these hazardous chemicals will be reproduced by reactions with bodily fluids in areas where they may cause harm to the individual. The production of these chemicals is outlined in the previous section on Chemistry.
In the United States, health insurance has been a way to cover insured individuals medical cost. The coverage of insurance depends on the type of health insurance plan an individual has. Each insurance plan varies, and one of the coverages that insurance plans offer is prescription drugs. The cost of prescription drugs, depends on which health insurance plan you have. If an individual does not have health insurance, paying for a prescription drug will be an out-of-pocket cost and cost will vary for those who have health insurance. One of the issues that have been arising in the United States is Prescription drug usage. Many patients are abusing their prescription health insurance coverage and it is affecting their health come. Some of the prescriptions
Prescription drugs do not always cause addiction, but a specific group of prescription narcotics can increase dependency on the medication and cause a severe addiction. For many people that become addicted to prescribed medicines, it changes their life forever. Prescription drugs are equally as dangerous as street drugs, if not more so. High powered pain relievers are safe if taken properly, but some people pop multiples a day which can cause coma and even death.
America has been the prime example of freedom for many years. It has been the symbol of adventure, self-advancement, and growth. However, American freedom has been stretched to fit into many different categories. There is freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to plan parenthood, and now, in Colorado and Washington, freedom to buy and sell marijuana. America has fought the war on drugs for decades. Legalizing marijuana is now seen as an “experiment” that may turn out to be beneficial for the nation. Yet, drugs are never something to be experimented with and drugs will never be beneficial. Drugs should never be legalized; they are not healthy for the body, they affect the birth process, they influence youth in a negative manner, and they increase crime and tragedy.
The rate of death due to prescription drug abuse in the U.S. has escalated 313 percent over the past decade. According to the Congressional Quarterly Transcription’s article "Rep. Joe Pitt Holds a Hearing on Prescription Drug Abuse," opioid prescription drugs were involved in 16,650 overdose-caused deaths in 2010, accounting for more deaths than from overdoses of heroin and cocaine. Prescribed drugs or painkillers sometimes "condemn a patient to lifelong addiction," according to Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This problem not only affects the lives of those who overdose but it affects the communities as well due to the convenience of being able to find these items in drug stores and such. Not to mention the fact that the doctors who prescribe these opioids often tend to misuse them as well. Abusing these prescribed drugs can “destroy dreams and abort great destinies," and end the possibility of the abuser to have a positive impact in the community.
The rise in cost of prescription drugs affects all sectors of the health care industry, including private insurers, public programs, and patients. Spending on prescription drugs continues to be an important health care concern, particularly in light of rising pharmaceutical costs and the aging population. Prescription drugs have grown to become an essential component of health care. For millions of Americans, prescription drugs are necessary to their health and ability to function in society. While prescriptions are a relatively small portion of overall health spending, they are a main reason for certain health spending trends, growing almost twice as fast all other health services in recent years. Prescription costs can be the costliest expense in your budget, especially if you are on a fixed income. The wealthy can easily afford their medications, but for an increasing population such as the elderly, choosing among purchasing medication, paying bills, or buying food is a real concern.
Prescription drug abuse has become a major epidemic across the globe, shattering and affecting many lives of young teenagers. Many people think that prescription drugs are safer and less addictive than “street drugs.” After all, these are drugs that moms, dads, and even kids brothers and sisters use. The dangers are not easily seen, but the future of our youth will soon be in severe danger if the problem is not addressed,it will continue to get worse if action is not taken soon. Prescription drugs are only supposed to be consumed by patients who have been examined and have a medical report by a professional, more and more teens are turning to the family’s medicine cabinet to “get high” but what they are actually doing is severely harming themselves, kids today are turning away from the street drugs and abusing the “prescribed” drugs that are that are at their very own home.
Writer, J.H., Barber, L.B., Ryan, J.N., and Bradley, P.M., 2011, Biodegradation and attenuation of steroidal hormones and alkylphenols by stream biofilms and sediments: Environmental Science and Technology.
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the dangers of prescription drugs when not taken as prescribed by your physician or pharmacist.
Freshwater scarcity is a threat to the pharmaceutical industry. Flooding contaminates the freshwater supply with contaminants from runoff. Pfizer relies upon large supplies of freshwater in its manufacturing processes. Regrettably, the freshwater supply is also being indirectly contaminated by the pharmaceutical industry. When medicines and vaccines expire, hospitals and patients dispose of them by flushing them down their sewer systems. This contaminated sewage is then dumped into lakes and rivers. This pollution contaminates aquifers and threatens the freshwater supply.