Drug legalization policy: Colorado, Washington, and beyond

Health Science in Regards to Drugs and Alcohol

Legalization of drugs

When Colorado and Washington legalized the use of marijuana for recreational purposes, issues related to legalization of all drugs became subject of public debate. Those who voted for legalization of Marijuana in these two states argued that legalization of these drugs would generate revenue, deter black market activities, and check against lose of tax resources used by law enforcement agencies (Will, 2012). These younger and liberal voters averred that drug enforcement unfairly targeted minority groups and that the current laws led to greater crimes because of the demand for illegal drugs.

Those of opposing view opined that criminalization of recreational drugs could help lower rate of use and abuse hence decrease in addictions and problems associated with it. Opponents of legalization of drugs were older and more conservative. The current policy detailing the war on drugs has failed to live to expectations (Will, 2012). The government should focus on treatment of drug related cases, rehabilitate drug addicts, and educate people on the effects of abusing drugs as opposed to enforcing the current policies that are costing the taxpayers a lot of money.

The number of Americans imprisoned for drug related offenses is significantly higher than those imprisoned for property crime. America currently spends five times more money in jailing drug dealers than it did towards the end of the 20th century. It is pointless taking low-ranking street corner dealers to prison where they are going to spend three years and get released (Fareed Zakaria, 2012). If such a dealer does a $200 transaction, he shall have made damage to the society worth $100,000. When such low ranking dealers are released from prison without the possibility of getting employed, they get back to business because they can only deal drugs. Dealers have got nothing to do with hooking non-drug users to drugs because future addicts are normally initiated by their friends, siblings, or acquaintances (Will, 2012). The government spends obscene sums of money in trying to slow the flow of drugs to the street-level dealers compared to what dealers who connect the cartels to the cartel customers earn. Criminalization of drugs like cocaine increases its retail price. Contrary to popular belief that when prices are higher a few people would be willing to consume cocaine, the reverse has been experienced.

Drug peddling cartels have massive resources that can be used to compromise enforcement initiatives. It is therefore pointless criminalizing drug use. On paper it will appear like Cocaine or other recreational drugs are out of streets while in actual sense they would be doing rounds in streets in full glare of law enforcement agencies (Will, 2012).

Twenty-five percent of drug peddling cartel's revenue is earned from marijuana. If it is legalized, it is possible that a massive $10 billion will be taken from bad hands. The only unfortunate thing is that these bad boys will still get money from peddling cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines. It is therefore pointless legalizing certain drugs while you criminalize the rest. The legalization of marijuana for medical purposes is semi-legalization. This has bred cynicism with law. It never came as a surprise that in 2010, those who were opposed to legalization of marijuana in California were marijuana growers (Fareed Zakaria, 2012). They feared that legalization of marijuana would eat into their profit margin. Legalizing marijuana use has public health consequences that are worth paying for if the government is serious about throwing cartels out of business and cutting costs of enforcement.

Advertisement of prescription drugs to the general public

Prescription drugs should be advertised to the general public as has been the practice over the past years. It is in the United where direct to consumer advertising of prescription is legal. This happens under the watchful eyes of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). When such drugs are advertised, consumers get informed about the potential medical conditions they may be having and the drugs they can use to treat such conditions. A consumer is well versed on medical issues will most likely contact his doctor to discuss his medical condition. These advertisements are a boon to the public health sector (Food and Drug Administration, 1999).

It should not be misconceived that when one sees an advertisement on television then he will rush out to buy the drug being advertised. It should not be lost on us that users of prescription drugs can easily access the services of physicians, pharmacists, and product packages. Besides, users can also access internet websites and medical literature that can educate them about prescription drugs (Food and Drug Administration, 1999).

Prescription drug advertisement has helped demystify the stigma that is associated with many health conditions. It has helped the patients appreciate the health issues that they are faced with. They subsequently discuss their health problems openly with their health service providers. Every person ventures into business to make profit and direct to consumer advertisers of prescription drugs should never be left out. Drug makers make $4.00 for every $1.00 spent in direct to consumer advertisement. The profits accrued from advertisement are used to develop life-improving medications. Such monies are invested in research which is a very crucial aspect of drug manufacturing. For prescription drug manufacturers to recoup their Research and Development expenses and remain competitive against generic drug manufacturers, they have to engage in direct to consumer advertising (Food and Drug Administration, 1999).

Fears that are raised with advertisement of prescription drugs are uncalled for because prescription drug advertisements are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act compels manufacturers, packers, and distributors who advertise prescription human and animal drugs to disclose in the advertisement information related to the product uses and risks that abound. For prescription drugs, the Act requires that the advertisement outlines the side effects, contraindications, and the effectiveness of the drug in question. The print advertisements must ventilate each of the risk concepts on the package labeling. Advertisements through television, radio, or telephone communications must disclose major risks associated with such drugs in audio or visual parts of the presentation (Food and Drug Administration, 1999). The adequate provision requirement compels sponsors of broadcast advertisement to present a brief summary for dissemination of the approved or permitted package labeling.

Prescription drug should be advertised because advertising is a form of speech that is protected under the First Amendment. Any legislation that prohibits advertisement of prescription drugs directly to consumers violates the citizens' constitutional rights. By the virtue of the fact that doctors, hospitals, and healthcare insurance providers are allowed to advertise their services directly to the consumers of their services, it therefore follows that drug companies be allowed to advertise their brands directly to the consumers (The People's Pharmacy, 2013).

Alcoholism: a disease?

Debates on whether alcoholism is a disease or not have been doing rounds for over 200 years and there is likelihood that such debates will still persist. Such debates went on as the disease theory of alcoholism was coined by Herbert Fingarette. This theory was premised on four propositions. First, heavy drinkers have a distinctive pattern of greater alcohol use that leads to bodily, mental, and social deterioration.

Secondly, when the condition appears, it persists involuntarily. Alcoholics crave for alcohol irresistibly and their drinking habit is uncontrollable once it has begun (Fingarette, 1990).

The third proposition of disease theory of alcoholism underscores the role medical expertise play in understanding and relieving the drinking problem. These medical experts can cure the disease or ameliorate its symptoms. The last proposition of the theory postulates that alcoholics and not legally or morally responsible for their drinking habits and the consequences there of. These propositions have elicited a lot of debate with some arguing that it is only the alcoholics who are capable of dealing with their problem. Some have even castigated the American Medical Association for classifying alcoholism as a disease even as there is lack of scientific evidence (Fingarette, 1990). The bottom line is alcoholism is a disease bearing in mind the physical conditions that accompany addiction.

Alcohol has had far reaching ramifications on the American society hence the labeling of Alcoholism as the nation's fourth largest public health problem in 1944. Because alcoholism has symptomatic progression of phases that morphs from psychological to physical condition, it has at times been considered a disease. When the American Medical Association acknowledged alcoholism as a disease, the stigma that was associated with alcoholism began breaking down.

The condition is not lack of strong will as certain people have chosen to call it but a disease (Fingarette, 1990). Alcoholism on many occasions cannot be cured because that heavily relies on the alcoholic's ability to control his/her addiction. Families where alcoholics come from are also affected because such families become co-dependent. This allows the alcoholics to under function. Co-dependency and alcoholism have similar characteristics. Alcoholism has long-term progressive disorder. Alcoholism has no exact illness pattern because the patterns vary in terms of psychological and social dysfunction, and medical complication. If the definition given the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (2013) is anything to go by then alcoholism is a disease. It refers to alcoholism as a chronic, progressive, and a potentially dangerous disease that is characterized by tolerance and physical dependency. Because alcoholics drink repeatedly, their professional, personal, and family life becomes compromised. Alcoholics do not have control over when they drink, when they will stop drinking, or how much they drink. They are oblivious to the consequences of their drinking habit. Alcoholics and those close to them live in constant denial of the negative effects of alcohol in their lives. This aspect of denial makes diagnosis of alcoholism more difficult. That alcoholism is a disease was manifested in the enactment of the Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Act of 1970. The law required alcoholics to be treated and never to be discriminated against at work. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism was subsequently formed to facilitate research, training, education, and treatment of alcoholics. Alcoholism is a disease that is never cured in totality no wonder some alcoholics are referred to as recovering alcoholics. Even when one has stopped drinking, the addictive personality remains intact. Those who have stopped drinking can easily suffer from relapse which is often very intense because the alcoholic gets back to their last stage of active drinking as indicated by National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (2013)