This paper presents a proposed legislative bill (SB 375/2013) aimed at monitoring and regulating prescription drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking in the United States. Drawing on FBI crime reports, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, and publications from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and the World Health Organization, the paper establishes the societal and economic harm caused by substance abuse. It outlines the bill's key provisions — including funding for prescription monitoring programs, empowering law enforcement, and improving licensing standards — and concludes with a legislative action plan focused on prevention, prosecution of traffickers, and institutional accountability.
The issue of substance abuse is a societal menace that is dragging world economies down due to its enormous negative effects. Substance abuse refers to the use of illicit drugs or medicinal drugs for mood-altering purposes. The drugs that people abuse carry addictive properties, which lead to excessive consumption over time. It is the wide-ranging effects of substance abuse — including elevated crime rates, gender-related and other forms of violence, and the wastage of resources — that necessitate the development of federal policies to manage the sale and use of drugs in the country.
The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy has raised serious concerns about the increasing misuse of prescription drugs, the rise of addiction, and the resulting deaths. Law enforcement agencies, meanwhile, continue to struggle with the challenge of cracking down on increased drug trafficking cases across the country (Kleiman, Caulkins & Hawken, 2011). The worst-hit region in the United States is the southern part of the country, though drug trafficking and substance use have gained a foothold throughout the entire nation over the past decade. It is the national crime rate reports produced by law enforcement agencies that first drew attention to the severity of drug and substance abuse in the country.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation released a report on arrest patterns and crimes related to drug trafficking and substance abuse in 2012. That report revealed that 725,160 people were arrested on drug-related charges in a single year — a figure that sparked widespread public concern. A closer analysis of the data shows that most of those arrested were final consumers: individuals who, after using drugs, committed various crimes. The traffickers who supply those drugs, however, often used their influence to evade the law enforcement process, remaining free from arrest while the cycle of drug and substance abuse worsened.
In view of these circumstances and the inadequate measures available for tackling the problem, this paper proposes a bill that addresses the interdiction, apprehension, and consequent prosecution of those responsible for the substance abuse crisis. The target of the legislation is drug traffickers, since existing regulations already address drug users to a greater degree. Eliminating the supply of substances that users abuse is the most direct route to eliminating the menace (Kleiman, Caulkins & Hawken, 2011). Illicit drug trafficking cases reported to law enforcement require stricter and more supportive regulations. Additionally, the misuse of prescription drugs by vendors who do not follow proper channels is also addressed by this bill.
The increasing outcry from organizations concerned with drug and substance use management continues to draw the attention of many stakeholders. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health, published by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, indicates a rising and worrying trend in substance abuse (Drug and substance abuse awareness night, 2013). Despite initiatives by various governmental and non-governmental bodies, the consumption of both legal and illegal drugs in harmful ways has continued to increase. The report identifies how factors such as age, gender, level of education, unemployment, and parental circumstances contribute to drug and substance abuse. Among the most commonly abused substances in the country are tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol (Hanson, Venturelli & Fleckenstein, 2012). The report also examines treatment and correctional measures intended to help drug consumers. However, these measures do not address the root of the problem, since drug traffickers — who are responsible for getting drugs to consumers — remain outside the rehabilitation equation. This gap underscores the need for a bill that directly confronts trafficking.
The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) has raised an outcry over prescription drug abuse, specifically regarding federal legislation to prevent such abuse that was introduced in the Senate. The legislation, introduced by Senator Jay Rockefeller and Representative Nick Rahall and titled the Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (SB 348), outlines several proposed provisions (Hanson, Venturelli & Fleckenstein, 2012). The NABP article identifies issues that contribute to the illicit use of prescription drugs, including the qualifications of over-the-counter drug vendors, the need for better consumer education about medications, and the need for state funding of prescription monitoring programs. Such publications by the pharmacy board demonstrate the seriousness of the prescription drug abuse problem and inspire like-minded advocates to pursue legislation addressing it.
The World Health Organization continues to report on how failures in systems of order and justice contribute to drug and substance use. The WHO stipulates that every individual should have access to quality health services. The United States government has demonstrated its commitment to this principle by implementing legislation for free medical care provision in public hospitals (Wilson & Kolander, 2011). However, WHO reports on substance abuse highlight the need for preventive measures as well. In conjunction with the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, the WHO compiled research and articles on alcohol, other drugs, and the harm they cause to individuals. Publications in Addiction News Daily revealed that the scale of drug abuse is worse than media coverage typically suggests. The center also released a provisional summary of policy strategies to address alcohol and other drug abuse — an analysis that broadened the perspective on existing legislation and its limitations (Edelfield & Moosa, 2012). The abuse of substances is a matter of national concern that requires intensive exploration, and the statistics drawn from these reports compel a preventive legislative approach.
"Quantifies economic and social costs of drug abuse"
"Formal bill text with numbered provisions"
"Implementation plan and closing argument"
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