Drugs: uses, effects, and societal impact

Drug abuse has reached an alarming level in the present, with substances on nearly every street corner available to buy for virtually anyone. For several decades, the U.S. authorities have launched a war to fight drugs and so far it has stopped large amounts of substances from reaching the open market. However, in spite of the efforts being done to bring drug traffic to an end, the business is still working strong all over the country.

During the first half of the 20th century, substance abuse had not been disturbing when considering the amounts of drugs being trafficked and consumed in the world. People from the time had also been unaware of the effects of most drugs because of the fact that substances were being sold and consumed in small quantities.

The second half of the 20th century came with a boom in the productions of illegal substances. The numbers of people abusing them had also experienced a remarkable growth. The drug trafficking business had also advanced, and now millions of people had got involved. The traffickers now had acquired the money to bribe police officers and get away with mostly anything.

To this day, the drug war has not proved to be effective because the quantity of drugs being brought illegally into the U.S. has experienced a constant growth. Apparently, the billions of dollars involved in combating the production, sale and consumption of drugs have been spent inefficiently.

The bottom line is that it requires an abnormal effort to fight drugs efficiently. As long as drug traffickers will be named "lords, barons," and such impressive names, some people will be charmed and attracted by the advantages that drugs bring. In order for the drug wars to be effective, the funds intended for them should be spent on special programs destined to prove the destructive effects the substances have. Presently, authorities use most of the money intended to fight drugs for means that involve violence.

The Criminal Justice System has changed with the emergence of drug wars. From the early 80s and until now, the number of inmates has experienced a steady increase as drug-related criminals were coming in larger packs.

The first notable funds intended for drug wars have been given during the Nixon administration, as $65 million had been spent in 1969. Nixon's successors continued to give large sums of public money for the fight against drugs. The Reagan administration provided the war with $1.6 billion, while the Clinton administration gave away $17.1 billion for the combat against drugs. (Gonsalves, Sean 2000)

The total of 581,000 arrests in 1980 nearly tripled to a record high of 1,584,000 by 1997 and continues close to that level with 1,532,300 in 1999. In 1999, four of five (80.5%) drug arrests were for possession and one of five (19.5%) for sales. Overall, 40.5% of drug arrests were for marijuana offenses. (the Sentencing Project)

Drug wars have proved to be successful when concerning the number of people arrested. However, the number of people getting involved in the business had become much bigger, and those captured had only been a small part of the whole drug-trafficking mafia.

Marijuana is one of the most common drugs that exist, it has been used for several millennia and it became illegal during the early 20th century. It appears that the first people to bring it into the U.S. had been the Mexicans. The first people to use it frequently were the Mexicans and the Afro-Americans. Whites associated the use of marijuana with the minorities believed to be inferior at the time. After intense anti-propaganda in the media the drug became illegal in 1937. Racist politicians took advantage and voted against the use of marijuana motivating that it created an epidemic around the honest, white, U.S. citizens. (Bliss, Roshan)

Indeed, the fact that the first official users within the borders of the U.S. influenced the criminalizing of marijuana. Because minorities had been considered more prone to perform immoral acts, marijuana consuming quickly started to be seen as something depraved, degrading and associated with second hand citizens.

Over the years, marijuana abuse has continued to be regarded as being damaging to the well-being of our society and, in most countries, it is illegal to possess marijuana. In spite of being generally rejected by the public, marijuana also has numerous supporters. Its supporters usually claim that the plant is not dangerous for its consumers and that it actually shouldn't be called a drug. For several decades, the drug has been considered to be harmless and not to have any long-term consequences.

However, recent studies have proved otherwise, that the drug is very damaging to its consumer. After having consumed the drug for longer periods of time, its users have been reported to experience memory problems.

Those that militate for the legalization of marijuana believe that the drug has been made illegal because of the massive propaganda from the early 20th century. (Scienceblog)

Apparently, one of the most disastrous effects that marijuana has on its users it the fact that they are more inclined to turn to other, more dangerous drugs that could be deadly. People that smoke marijuana have far more chances of entering an environment where drugs of a higher risk are dealt with. Young people are being corrupted by either friends or drug dealers to smoke marijuana. They are generally more vulnerable to drugs because they cannot tell the difference between drugs of a lower level of risk and drugs of a higher one.

Marijuana is perceived by many, mostly older adolescents as no more harmful than alcohol or tobacco and far less risky to use occasionally than crack or heroin." (Thomas W. Clark 1997) However, according to Clark, adults have been alarmed bytha fact that the number of teenagers that become marijuana users in the present has experienced a disturbing growth. (Clark)

Marijuana is not always regarded as being dangerous for humans, with the plant being used by some doctors as an effective medicament. The recreational use of the plant however has proved to be dangerous for the human body. (Clark)