Newman, T., (2014). How should our society deal with people who use drugs? Drug Policy…
The phrase “sex, drugs, and rock and roll” held true to its well-earned spot in 1970’s and 1980’s society. With a new, looser culture, explicit music, raunchy and rambunctious movies as well as a societal focus on many things immoral, it was an era of challenging social norms. As the use of recreational and psychoactive drugs, as well as alcohol, increased, a new problem arose; how does law enforcement and the government undo the damage being made by this new society? Laws were passed, bureaus and commissions were formed, and the President of the United States began what he called “The War on Drugs”. Over the years, some of these solutions have proven to make some impact. The initiation, tactics, and attempts at dealing a major blow to drug abuse have all affected the way America sees drugs today. A new type of warfare had made its way into the country, and after all these years, it has made its fair share of positive and negative effects.…
As Rolles so accurately points out, "the criminalisation of drugs has historically been presented as an emergency response to an imminent threat, rather than an evidence based health or social policy intervention". What the criminal justice system fails to take into account is that by enforcing punitive drug policies the issue at hand is merely subdued. This high level policy environment routinely ignores critical scientific engagement and is uniquely divorced from most public health and social policy norms, such as interventions using established indicators of health and wellbeing. Porter reminds us that the notion of 'drugs' as we understand it today is a relatively new invention, therefore classifying drugs as 'illegal' and punishing those…
The Case for Decriminalizing Drugs, he takes a different approach to regarding the War on Drugs. While he feels that current drug policies have failed, his book focuses on the injustice of punitive drug laws and believes we should stop punishing people for using illicit drugs. “A law whose purpose is deterrence must always be backed by a demonstration that the law is just.” (ix) His book is presented in three chapters. Chapter one describes our present drug policies and laws and raises questions to answer whether these are just or unjust and offers his position of decriminalization as a more ethical approach to drug use. Chapter two reviews the most frequent arguments used in favor of punishing drug users and Husak believes that none of these are convincing enough to warrant enacting laws on a person’s behavior. Chapter three declares that punishing drug users is counterproductive and damaging to us…
There is also a need in the manner in which law enforcement manages drugs and drug enforcement. This can be handled by making drugs a public health problem instead of a criminal one (Lozoff, n.d.). This can shift a majority of the drug problem onto other services and by decriminalizing drug use and possession individuals can get treatment instead of being locked up for a mental health and addiction problem. This would alleviate overbooked court rooms and prisons allowing for the truly violent and dangerous criminals to be placed in space that is taken up by less violent offenders (Lozoff, n.d.). In changing the way the system manages drugs and drug addicts the crimes associated with drug use can also be decreased or eliminated (Chandler, Fletcher, & Volkow,…
In the 1970s and 1980s, America faced a severe drug epidemic. The rise of drug use led to an increase in crime. Incarceration rates nearly tripled due to drug related crimes. The need to address this growing problem led to the drug court movement and the creation of drug courts. Drug courts are special courts that treat offenders with a history of substance abuse addictions by providing supervised treatments and sanctions when needed. This paper will discuss the establishment and goals of drug courts. It will also discuss the success or failures of drug courts in California, Florida, and D.C.…
In 1996, 59.6% of prisoners were drug-related criminals. U.S. population grew by about +25% from 1980 to 2000. In that same 20 year time period, U.S. prison population tripled. To make room in prison for incoming drug users and dealers, all inmates, including violent criminals are having their sentences shortened or are being paroled early” (Drug Laws). As one can see the use of drugs among Americans is shortening the sentences of violent criminals to make room for drug users and dealers. This matter will decrease if we begin to intervene in the home, next, the schools, and last but not least the individual…
Bibliography: 3. Nadelmann, Ethan (1989). Drug Prohibition in the United States: Cost, Consequences, and Alternatives. New Series, Vol. 245 No.4921 Page 939-947.…
The Drug issues in American have forced the government to hold a zero tolerance policy when it involved drugs. These policies were created with the idea that drug use is all too common epidemic, that is increasing the grips on communities and this policies basis is to remove all of the illegal use of drugs all together. It’s never as easy as the foundation states no matter the way it is approached. The idea is to punish for the use, trafficking and creation of the illegal narcotics to make those whom consume, sell or create will be punished with jail or fines. The current investment is currently listed as 400 billion US dollars yearly. Even though the Government has made every attempt to limit this it has been shown that drugs use is on the rise, not just in North America, but other continents as well such as Europe and South America. Watch the television and listen…
Many have said that the war on drugs is a failure and needs reform. Others have lamented that the war on drugs is a war that cannot be won and valuable resources and money has been used up. Drugs are cheaper, purer, and more easily obtained than ever before. The war on drugs is futile. This paper will discuss why the United States should end the war on drugs.…
On June 17, 1971, President Richard Nixon committed what is arguably one of his most significant and lasting executive acts when he issued a special message to Congress regarding the growing drug abuse problem within the United States. Although this message was significant in many ways because of the public acknowledgment that the Federal Government was not doing enough to combat drugs and their associated ills, this message is mostly remembered as the origin of the term the War on Drugs. We are now over forty years removed from that “declaration of war,” and not only has the United States ' drug problem remained, it has grown to unthinkable proportions,…
The abuse of drugs by incarcerated peoples is a rapidly growing issue among all nations. The goal of prison is to reform and rehabilitate former criminals, however this goal cannot be accomplished if more and more prisoners are abusing controlled substances. It is estimated that over 80% of prisoners abuse a controlled substance, and over 65% of prisoners are clinically addicted. Because these numbers are based on reported cases, the actual percentage are likely much higher. These statistics reflect a dire situation that must be addressed.…
Drug abuse is a major issue. Those suffering from drug abuse need to be rehabilitated instead of being thrown into prisons where they will not receive the proper treatment. In this paper, I will discuss the Drug Court program that is aimed at decreasing drug use. I will also discuss the impact of the program.…
Gray, James P, (2001) Why our drug laws have failed and what we can do about it: A…
Prominently, the exponential uprise of America’s crime rate, the financial leech from other departments, and the sheer illegality of the punishment are all reasons why a federal law needs to be passed in order to treat and rehabilitate those addicted to illegal substances, rather than punish them. The flaws within this system are detrimental not only to the prisoners in question, but the entire United States. For example, funding for students who have great potential is wasted detaining an addict with no control over their problem instead of offering them legitimate help. The benefits of rehabilitation for nonviolent drug offenders clearly surpasses the current system in every way. The citizens of the U.S. must vote a law through that will rectify the problem; nonviolent drug addicts must be rehabilitated rather than imprisoned. The time to act is…