Legal Issues

Mens use and abuse of drugs is as old as the beginning of civilization itself. Drugs have been around and are being continuously used by humanity ever since the dawn of time. Many people have an inkling to take in food and beverages that would make them experience relaxation and stimulation. Men and women have used one type of drug or another at least once or twice in their lifetime. The ancient civilizations have discovered that the plants that grow around them are not just for ornamentation but for healing as well. For instance, wine has been popular since the Egyptian times and the medicinal advantages of marijuana have been discovered in China as early as 2737 BC (Drug Rehabs.org).

Due to the developments of science and the advances of technology, many dangerous drugs have been discovered, and these led to the use and abuse of illegal drugs. In the case of the United States, it is a devastating fact that the country is being bombarded by drug illegalities and addiction. The drug craze has dramatically increased over the years. People from different walks of life are being involved in the use and abuse of drugs. Consequently, it has affected many aspects of life such as the health and the family relationships. It has even affected the country in more ways than one.

Drug abuse pertains to the continuous and repeated usage of medicines and other substances to experience a particular effect. These particular substances may come from illegal drugs because of their high potential to generate addictive effects. They may also come from the use of legal drugs like prescriptives and over- the-counter drugs that are being purchased not because of their medicinal purposes but because of the pleasure that the users get from them (Smith and Saisan).

Drug use is a prevalent problem is America today. According to a survey published in USA Today, approximately 11 of the teenagers ranging from 12 to 17 years old are using drugs, and this figure is continually increasing as time passes by. The most probable reason for this is the fact that the American youth are ignorant of the dangers of drugs (Peters and Peters). The use and abuse of illegal drugs have many serious repercussions on the health and relationships of the people engaged in this kind of activity. These people think that by using these drugs alone, they cannot affect or harm others. They remain ignorant of the fact that drug use has a chain reaction that extends its negative influence to the economy and peace of the country.

Studies show that there are genetic factors that can be linked to drug use or alcoholism. The findings reveal that the children who have alcoholic parents have a bigger tendency to develop alcoholic problems than others because of the fact that they have an increased risk and exposure to behavioral and emotional problems. However, alcoholism cannot be determined solely by the genes inherited from ones ancestors. On the contrary, more than one half of the kids of the alcoholics do not become one. The risks may be higher for them, but that does necessarily mean that they will become alcoholics themselves. Hence, genes are not the sole basis of the use of alcohol. Drugs affect the thoughts and emotions of the people in the same way as alcohol does. The behavior and character of the parents towards each other greatly influence their child-rearing. Parents who have been using drugs have no idea that this habit of theirs is affecting the way they take care of their families (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism NIAAA 2).

The effects of drugs have been associated with the nervous system in the same way as genetics has always been associated with alcoholism. Prescription drugs are hugely responsible for this kind of phenomenon. There lies a common misconception that just because they are approved legally and medically, it does not mean that they cannot pose danger and addiction when used improperly. Prescription drugs lessen the pain of the patients and help them heal and recover faster from their illnesses. However, they are also one of the most sought-after addictive drugs in circulation today. A single prescriptive drug can destroy the multiple functions of a cell thereby causing thousands of biochemical changes. The introduction of a second drug can lead to tens of thousands of changes while a third one can cause hundreds of thousands of changes (Francis).

The adverse effects of illegal drugs on the health of the users are no different from the dangers brought about by the prescribed drugs. The Drug Abuse Warning Network provides that more than 380,000 visits to the emergency room were caused by the use of cocaine and more than 160,000 trips to the emergency room were likewise caused by heroin. Some of the mild symptoms of cocaine include increased heart rate, sleeping problems, and even convulsions. Inhaling the drugs through the nasal area can create a permanent damage to the nasal tissues. Cocaine causes heart attacks, brain problems, and even strokes. It also has adverse effects on an unborn child because it causes the tearing of placental wall, early labor, and even miscarriage. Even if many babies recover after being exposed to cocaine in the womb, it also seems that this situation may double the tendency of their developmental delays. Heroin, like cocaine, also has adverse effects on the body. It causes heart and liver damage and respiratory failure. The chronic use ruins the proper circulation of blood, and it increases the risk of having respiratory problems. Users of heroin often use injections and as such, it increases their risk of having HIV. Children who have been exposed to heroine prior to their birth suffer horrible withdrawal syndromes after they are born and they are ten times at risk of dying of SIDS (Adams). Illegal drug use are so dangerous that it can kill even first time drug users. For the users who are lucky to survive, the addiction to cocaine leads to a nasty and expensive habit that requires hundreds and even thousands of dollars every week just to support (Adams). The economy is greatly affected due to the drug abuse because men and women are wasting their hard-earned money in order to buy the substances that will ultimately destroy them. The money that should have been allotted for supporting a family or paying taxes is used by the drug users in order to support their addiction. This should not be the case. This makes the people realize that the real value of a particular product or service is not the amount of money spent on that product or service but the things that the people cannot buy because the money was already spent buying drugs.

Drug use does not only affect the economy of the country, it also causes crimes and violence and disrupts the peace and orderliness of the society. The National Institute on Drug Abuse survey indicates that one in every 20 high school seniors drink alcohol everyday and approximately 61 of them have tried using illegal drugs. It is even more alarming that one in every ten students in their senior year of high school have admitted that they tried to use cocaine. The use of drugs and alcohol by the students poses a serious threat to the country, to the students themselves, and to the education process. There is a noticeable connection between the drug use and the crime rate in the country as stated by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. According to them, more than one half of those youth in the juvenile facilities committed crimes while under the influence of alcohol and drugs. These factors are also the reason why many kids choose to drop out of school and commit violence and suicide (Klauke).

As the parens patriae, the government has a huge role to play when it comes to solving a major crisis such as drug abuse. America has been continuously fighting a losing battle against drugs for many years. The budget for combating drug abuse has greatly increased over the last 20 years and the incarcerations of drug abusers are always reaching new records, yet the drug problem still goes on. The situation seems worse than ever. However, the government is not running out of alternatives because according to them, the drug problems can still be reduced at a lesser cost through a change of strategy. The Unites States government has found ways to stop the use of drugs by making a public health approach that focuses on all addicts and abusers. They also funded the social services in order help reduce the numerous causes of abuse, and they have implemented some economic strategies in order to create alternative markets and control the drug markets. The federal budget has recognized this fact through shifting their focus and attention to the prevention, treatment, and the education of these people (Common Sense for Drug Policy CSDP 1-4).

The best way to stop the spread of illegal drug abuse is to prevent it from even starting in the first place. The state, together with the help of the citizens, must make a stand to prevent the use of illegal drugs. The children are the leaders of tomorrow and as such, they do not need this type of substance that can ruin their future. The family may indeed be the smallest political unit there is, but they can make a huge difference in the lives of everybody. Parents can prevent their children from engaging in this destructive habit through proper disciplining and child-rearing. Drug abuse does not involve a problem about moral strength or weakness. It is rather a problem about will power. The use of drugs is a vicious process that ruins the body, the family, and the country. As such, it is impossible to be free from this nasty habit without asking for the help of others. It takes the lives of the people who could have had a better future but was never given a chance to because of drugs. It wrecks the homes and destroys the friendships of many, but one must not give up hope. The proper treatment and support will help a person be unbound from the chains of drug use. The most important consideration that a person has to have is the commitment and dedication of wanting to turn his or her life around. Every person must not turn his or her back on the people with drug problems. Instead, they must be helped and encouraged, and for a person who has a heart for these people, there are many ways of doing so. Nothing is impossible to one who has a willing mind and body.