Is America Winning Or Losing The Battle Against The War On Drugs?

Statement of Problem: Is America winning or losing the battle against the war on drugs

Many individuals would love to believe that the war on drugs is not a losing battle. So much time, effort, and money has been put into drug programs that individuals feel are making a difference. The reality is the war on drugs is a losing battle because new drugs are hitting the streets every month and it is hard to keep up. In the 80’s, 90’s, 2000’s and today people use drugs such as heroin, cocaine, or prescription drugs. Now day’s kids are taking drugs such as molly, ecstasy, 25i, weed candy and many more. With the amount of pressure some people face in life they turn to drugs. Drugs are in the community, in the schools, and in the homes of most of
When self-reports of jail and state prison inmates were evaluated to determine the proportion reporting having ever used drugs, nearly 80% of adult inmates reported drug use, and 83% of incarcerated juveniles said they have used drugs at some point in their lives” (Schmalleger, 2012, p.352). Drugs are coming into and being grown in the United States every day. Marijuana is being grown in the backyard of homes, fields, and labs. Drug smugglers are smuggling cocaine into the United States. Designer drugs are being created in drug labs and in homes of individuals. According to PBS.org (1995), in a press conference, Nixon names drug abuse as “public enemy number one in the United States”. During his time as president, the majority of the funding for this war went to treatment instead of law enforcement officers. As the rate of drug abuse continues to fill up hospitals, courts, and jails drug abuse programs treat addictions through rehabilitation and police prevention. The goal of this research is to show how community programs may or may not help to keep drugs out of communities in addition
Drug rehab programs have been funded for years using the money law enforcement agencies acquire through drug bust, government funding, and outside sources. The benefits that rehab programs provide are drug awareness programs, detox programs, and education classes. Overall, the goal is to teach and educate people who are in a drug environment. Those who fully complete a drug rehab program have a better chance at fighting the addiction opposed to those who never seek treatment. The problem is that the individuals who do the drugs still remain with their drug addiction. “According to the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), illicit drug use in the United States has risen to its highest level in eight years. The NSDUH found that 8.7 percent of Americans aged 12 and older used illicit drugs in the month prior to the survey, a nine percent rise from the 2008 rate. The survey also highlighted the increase in prescription drug abuse and methamphetamine and ecstasy use” (Caron Treatment,