Do Drugs Hurt Society

Improved Essays
Do drugs hurt society?
In 2014 the FBI reported 1,561,231 arrests for drug law violations. 83.1% of those arrests (1,297,383) were for possession of a controlled substance. Annually the U.S. spends more than $51,000,000,000 on the war on drugs. The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world at 1 in 111 adults. There are countless stories of people overdosing on drugs, people who are arrested for possessing these drugs even if they are responsible users. There are hard questions that need to be answered. What are the “safe” drugs? When is it acceptable to use these drugs? What happens after I use this drug? When used responsibly drugs have a place in society and users should not be incarcerated. Before we can decide whether or not
…show more content…
While those people are being selfish, they may have a point. The legalization of drugs can bring huge benefits as well as disadvantages to society. Like stated earlier drugs have different effects on the person and in some cases we have the opportunity to use those effects for good with medical research and advances. Besides medical drug legalization can affect outside sources such as; the economy, job creation, and crime rate. Research is showing promising signs that hallucinogens can play a part in the treatment of mental illnesses and other conditions. One main part of 12-step recovery programs is the processing of personal memories that produce shame, hurt, or resentment, followed by voicing these feelings to another human being(Scheve, Tom). Currently the medical use of marijuana is legal in 23 states. There are many advantages to the medical use of marijuana, however there are just as many unknown effects of the drug. Some of the big advantages to the legalization of medical marijuana are; slowing and stopping cancer cells from spreading, preventing alzheimer's disease, relieves arthritis, and can control epileptic seizures. Most of the effects of marijuana come from THC, this is also the active ingredient in marijuana that causes the recreational user to feel the “high”(Kabir, Sumaiya).There are economic advantages to legalizing weed also. After colorado legalized medical as well as the recreational use of cannabis, the state pulled in $3.5 million in tax revenue from legal pot sales in january of 2014 alone. Along with legalization the state reported 10,000 new jobs from both medical and recreational sources. Many of these jobs are paying higher than minimum wage. For example bud trimmers are being paid $15 an hour(Sarich, Christina). Cannabis use has increased in the US among teenagers in recent years, unlike nicotine, alcohol or opioids, and the

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    SAMHSA Research Paper

    • 705 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Drugs have been the cause of numerous deaths in America, especially according to the Huffington Post. " In 2009, drug use was responsible for the deaths of over 37,000 people in the United States -- exceeding the number of traffic fatalities for that year" (Buggle n.pag.). This problem is getting too large and out of hand, it seems outrageous that more people every year are dying from using drugs than…

    • 705 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    But, legalizing the substance can also increase driving while under the influence, create high taxes that come with legalizing the substance, and effect the underground economy. Good or bad, legalizing marijuana will have a significant impact on our community and the economy. In the 1929, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics turned its’ attention to marijuana.…

    • 1398 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Annotated Bibliography: Legalization of Marijuana There is a lot of debate and misinformation about the legalization of marijuana or keeping it illegal. Both sides have beneficial information and strong beliefs. Marijuana is the most widely used substance in the United States. The Drug Enforcement Administration believes that 11.5 million people use marijuana.…

    • 827 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    What should be allowed in America? Drugs have become very big items these days, either being used for medical reasons or just for fun, they are extremely common. As known, most drugs are illegal; however, people have connections to others to be able to get these illegal drugs to play around with and get high off of. Although, individuals with diseases or illnesses may benefit from illegal drugs to counteract the effects of their sickness, so the questions then comes up- should drug sales and usage be legalized? In the article “Drug Policy and the Intellectuals” by William J. Bennett, he plays off both sides whether or not drugs should be legalized.…

    • 1214 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Opioids And Incarceration

    • 950 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Opioids and Incarceration Incarceration of individuals is rapidly rising and the “war on drugs” has targeted opioid addicted users with no other ways of treatment other than jail time. Opioids are widely used for people with legitimate problems and the easy accessibility is making it possible for people of all ages and race to get a hold of. The crisis of opioid epidemic is only getting bigger along with the jail population. Anything from Xanax to Codeine can be easily attainable for the purposes of getting high. Another that is illegal, is heroin.…

    • 950 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Overdose Research Paper

    • 1406 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Did you know that more than 47,000 people die from overdose in the US every year? This number is 137% higher since the year 2000. There is a huge drug problem in the US and there is not much that is being done about it. This is why interventions are now being made in the EMS community. Advocates are pushing for more invasive measures for all members of public safety.…

    • 1406 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Satire On Drugs

    • 1200 Words
    • 5 Pages

    It should be a person’s choice if they want to use drugs, even if drugs the person is using are unhealthy and addictive. In the same way that I could eat nothing but potato chips, and although this is a terrible idea and would be very unhealthy, it would not be illegal or wrong for me to do so. It is my body; I will do what I want to it. Stopping a person from doing something when it does not cause harm to anyone or anything is a restriction of freedom which is unnecessary. One of the less obvious reasons to legalize drugs is the economic effect it would have.…

    • 1200 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Drugs are a complicated topic in today's society. People want to look at it as a black and white issue, when in fact, there are many facets of drug use. Drugs can be essential in the fighting off of dangerous illnesses, and also essential in the prevention of communicable diseases. Drugs are necessary in our daily lives in order to keep people healthy and safe. The other side of drugs, mainly illicit drugs, or drugs that are being misused and abused, can cause major problems with horrific outcomes that cannot be fixed.…

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The state of Colorado sees the potential marijuana has on other illnesses and ailments. Because of this, they approved $8.4 million to research the medical effectiveness of marijuana on childhood epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder, Parkinson’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, pediatric brain tumors, and spine pain (Ingold, 2014). Medical marijuana has already helped some of these diseases and disorders, but researchers want to see more concrete evidence than some medical survival stories. Unfortunately, because of the strict guidelines set by the FDA, drug development will rely on man-made pharmaceuticals because they are more controlled and won’t contain contaminants that plants can, (Maule, 2015). Marijuana has already been legalized for medical purposes in some states, and has already saved numerous lives.…

    • 1911 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Legalization of drugs would decrease the amount of harm done non-users in society. Instead of just telling people that drugs are bad and arresting them if they use them, we should create places where they can go to get help and do as least amount of harm to themselves and others. A good example of this is the needle exchange program, which provides clean needles to be injected in drug users. These clean needles dramatically halted the spread of HIV throughout the communities of drug users.…

    • 1305 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Drug has existed since the beginning of American History. Drugs such as caffeine and alcohol has become part of American socialization, children grow up watching parents drinking alcohol. Most of the drug users uses drugs in social settings or due to peer pressure. In this society, there are many stigma and myths around drugs and drug abusers. Certain drug users, mostly Blacks and low income individuals, are often portrayed as murderer, abuser, thief.…

    • 1781 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Drug abuse in America is at an all time high across the country. The effects of drug abuse on 18-35 year old male and females in America changes the way drug addicts see reality. Drug abuse can affect a person’s mental alertness, consciousness, cognitive and neurological functions, as well as lead to death, homelessness, loss of family and friends and even prison. Prescription drug overdoses constituted for more overdose deaths than heroin and cocaine combined, and as many, more emergency room visits. Most people start out with a legit medical issue that leads to a prescription for pain, cancer, and even stress.…

    • 877 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Drug War Consequences

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Consequences of the Drug War Not only have we not seen a decrease in the number of those using drugs as a result of the drug war, there have been a number of unintended and problematic consequences as a result of the “War on Drugs”. One of the biggest and most discussed issues when it comes to the drug war is the cost that has been put on tax payers over time to fund this. Not only were funds needed to substantially increase federal drug control agencies, the biggest burden that has been placed on the taxpayers has been the funds needed to continue to run. According to the Drug Policy Alliance (2015), “federal and state governments have poured nearly 1 trillion dollars into spending on the drug war. The United States is spending nearly 50…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Legalization Of Marijuana Essay

    • 890 Words
    • 4 Pages
    • 7 Works Cited

    Marijuana has, compared to other both legal and illegal drugs, low effects on the human body. “No death from marijuana overdose has ever been reported and the ill effects of alcohol, nicotine, and prescription painkillers (...) vastly overweight those of marijuana” ( Ingraham, Janet. “Lee, Martin A. Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana--Medical, Recreational, and Scientific”). Research has also shown that marijuana “ use does not lead to physical dependence, and there are no withdrawal symptoms when the drug is not discontinued” (“drug use” Britannica School. Encyclopaedia Britannica).…

    • 890 Words
    • 4 Pages
    • 7 Works Cited
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Drug and alcohol abuse has been an ongoing issue for individuals and is considered a social problem in our world today. Drug abuse is considered a social problem because although it affects the abuser in many negative ways it also flows out into society. Stimulants, Depressants and hallucinogens are types of drugs that come in different forms, such as, cocaine, tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and LSD. Furthermore, each form can have different methods of use, immediate effects and potential long term effects. The National Institute on Drug Abuse discusses the costs and affects that drug abuse places on not only the abuser but society.…

    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays