Drug Control Policy Drug Abuse

Drug Control Policy

Drug abuse had become a debated matter in the recent decades, with the substances virtually being found on every street corner and available for anyone to get. With the intention to stop drug trafficking and abuse, governments have started various anti-drug programs. Several drug control policies have been implemented by the authorities because of the constant growth that drug abuse has experienced over the years.

Drugs are not only dangerous because of the states of mind that they induce, as they are also harmful because they are indirectly accountable for the numerous crimes committed by drug abusers and drug traffickers. The U.S. is currently one of the main markets for drugs coming in from around the world. The U.S. government had maintained an anti-drug policy ever since the beginning of the twentieth century, and, with time, numerous notable drug captures had been made in North America.

There is a lot of controversy around the effectiveness that drug wars have, as, in spite of the fact that the authorities have captured large amounts of drugs over the years, the amounts of drugs reaching the market has been far greater. When thinking about the drug wars waged by the U.S. government, a normal U.S. citizen would most definitely relate to failure. The amounts of drugs being consumed in the U.S. only are incredible, as there are tens of millions of Americans that have abused drugs at least during their lifetime.

It is still a mystery for the U.S. government and its citizens how to make the war against drugs effective. There is practically nothing to stand in the way of the traffickers, as no matter how strong the war against drugs is, they still manage to find ways of smuggling illegal substances into the country. The U.S. system has implemented several drug control policies across time, and, large amounts of money have been allocated to the fight against drugs.

The drug issue has been frequently presented in the media in the last few decades, and, people have grown aware of the risks that are brought along with drug abuse. Reporters and journalists are known to exaggerate any news that they come up with, and, as a result, the masses have either panicked or treated the subject with indifference.

The media generally presents drugs are being extremely harmful for people's health and condemn the use of drugs. Conversely, when they have drug-related news, they tend to dramatize reality by adding metaphors which actually make the public regard drug traffickers as prosperous people and drug abusers as being content with their lives.

The last presidential administrations in Washington have made it clear that the U.S. is not going to abandon the war against drugs. What is curious is the fact that even though the public is not pleased with the results that the war has had, they continue to encourage their government in going on with the war. Apparently, the masses want the war to continue, but they do not agree with the methods used by the government to wage the war.

In their efforts to put an end to the presence of drugs on U.S. territory, authorities have implemented tougher drug laws. "Congressman Barr has described the "War on Drugs" as a war for the very lives of our children." (Williams, Juan 2001)

Even if there have been divergences in the past between the American government and drug abusers, it has not been until the 1970s that the actual war against drugs started. In 1971 President Nixon had made it clear that authorities are determined to stop drugs from having anything to do with the U.S.

The drug war continued in the years following Nixon's administration with even harsher policies. Coming at the U.S. presidency, President Reagan started a massive anti-drug campaign with the Anti-Drug Abuse Acts of 1986 and 1988. The campaign involved the government giving a set of actions meant to finance money for drug-related incidents.

The Bush Administration was to take the drug-war to a whole new level with the establishing of the Office of National Drug Control Policy in 1989. All the administrations to follow had continued to support and to finance the drug wars. However, the only visible result that the drug wars have had is the fact that the prisons in the U.S. have filled with people having committed drug-related felonies.

Even with the fact that the U.S. is currently conducting the biggest anti-drug campaign ever to exist, drugs are still continue to flow into the country in very large quantities. In order for their fight against drugs to be effective, the U.S. authorities need to rethink their strategy concerning treatment and prevention of illegal substances.