DRUGS: Of Course It's Bad, But Is That The Whole Story?

DRUGS: OF COURSE IT'S BAD, BUT IS THAT THE WHOLE STORY?

In this section, I won't waste time telling about the sinister and noxious biological effects of drugs. You can watch "Breaking Bad" for that. I will focus mainly on the social impacts of drug abuse and the possible solutions to this dilemma. 

SOCIAL IMPACT:

 1) Drug abuse is costly: 

Beside the fact that it's very bad and corrosive for your health, it also takes a tremendous toll on society. Here's how much drugs have cost the citizens of America:

$161 billion dollars! This includes of course the cost to get drugs, health care expenditures, costs for crimes related to drugs, and lost earnings.

2) Drugs: Family and Community:

Family is where your seek or contribute support and protection. Spending money on drugs and alcohol alike, instead of saving it as your daughter's college fund or paying your mortgage, is selfish and irresponsible. This is not a healthy way to maintain a family. Plus, researchers have also found a possible link between drug abuse and domestic violence.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:

1) Family:

-Family is a place where you seek support and protection. However, it is "also a source of tension, problems and pathology, influencing weaker members in harmful ways, including destructive drug or alcohol use." (www.unodc.org) 

-With today's rapid technological and social changes, the main influence of an adolescent shifted from the family to peers, mainly to seek a sense of belonging.

"One researcher (2) has found that friends are more similar in their use of marijuana than in any

other activity or attitude. "

-Therefore, it is the parents and other members of the family' duty to internalize socially appropriate values onto their children as soon as possible. Teaching children not to fall under the influence of peer pressure is also crucial. Prevention is always better than cure. DO NOT: Negligence towards your child makes him or her vulnerable to drugs and peer pressure.



2) Drug education: 



"Come on, man! It's really good Justin" said Mike. Don't just blindly listen to your idiot friend and try his weird-smelling joint. Don't let him hot box you either. In order to resist peer pressure, you need to know exactly what you are dealing with.



You NEED to understand the Truth About Drugs. Universally, schools should include at least 1 mandatory course of Drug education in their curriculums. When a student understand the potentially devastating damages drugs can bring about, he or she would not think abusing drugs "ain't cool".  






3) Legalization of drugs: 


Though it may sound strange, this solution is constructed purely on the basis of Supply and Demand. When the supply is low and demands are high, there's potential profit. That's why risking arrests and fatal dangers for drug trafficking seems worth it for many people.

For advocators of legalization, they believe that if the supply is high, the profit of drug trafficking would plummet and with it the number of illegal activities.

If drugs were to be legalized, it would be naturally for the government to be the only distributor. Tight regulations and high taxes for the consumption of drugs will both decrease the bad social impacts and increase the federal revenues.
 Several European countries, such as the Netherlands, have been legalizing certain drugs and they are doing just fine. This solution seems pretty viable.


LAST NOTES:

Education to raise drug awareness and internalization of family values are the most practical option that many can accept and apply. The legalization of drugs, however, would prove to be problematic to compromise in American society. This may be possible in some distant future. For now, please stay away from drugs.

DON'T DO WHAT LINDSAY DID!

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

https://www.unodc.org/pdf/technical_series_1995-03-01_1.pdf

http://archives.drugabuse.gov/about/welcome/aboutdrugabuse/magnitude/

http://www1.msjc.edu/hs/hs123/hs123_unit1b.html