Struggles to Terminate Drug Sales - Research Paper Example

Task War on Drugs Introduction Over the years, drug trade has escalated in all countries across the globe threatening to destroy the younger generations through engagement in crimes and violence, to acquire monetary resources for drug purchase. Currently, many youths are engaged in narcotics leading to escalation of crimes and violence, thus necessitating battle against the substance misuse. Drugs offer diverse effects mostly negative or unconstructive for the drug users, as well as the society. On the greater part, the populace is faced with a bigger crisis of dealing with drug users who never feel the impact of the drugs on their lives, and the lives of the other people. Drug wars seek to alleviate the problem, and offer a lasting solution towards drug users through elimination of the sources of drugs throughout the globe. Drug use was prominent in years prior to institution of measures that were assumed to regulate utilization of drugs among the American populace. In earlier years, drugs found numerous applications in production of foods and drinks around America. For instance, Coca-Cola utilized cocaine in drink manufacture until some period in 1903, while opium was utilized for infants with colic and was considered an OTC drug (Toll 427). The other drug that was utilized during this epoch was heroin and found greater appliance as cough depressant. Although people developed dependence on these drugs, alcohol remained the biggest setback yet it has not been contemplated as harmful with respect to other drugs. Various legislative acts were utilized in phasing off drug exploitation within the society, thus indicating commencement of war on drugs. The period when drugs were never regulated showed little discrepancies with regard to utilization of drugs, despite the actuality that drugs are currently regulated. Restrictions on drug use never commenced until the closing stages of 19th century, which led to prologue of various enactment at all levels of government. However, drug trade got these restrictions on racial grounds, since certain races were involved in drug trades around America. The preliminary enactment transpired in 1906, which aimed at directing the cataloging of medications and at the same time, prevent production or delivery of adulterated commodities in trade among states (Toll 427). The enactments progressed throughout the years, since the initial enactment leading to the current struggles towards the alleviation of drug utilization within the societal context. Prologue of Harrison Act served to prohibit drug sales to individuals who were measured to be addicts (Toll 442). Drugs sales to these individuals were considered criminal since it was not contemplated to be medical. Drug distribution was also phased through the act, to control sale of drugs to addicts. Other regulations were meant to prevent the manner in which drugs are streamed into the populace, to prevent high populace getting addicted or dependent on these substances. Struggles to terminate drug sales were meant to prevent the drug users from affecting the other section of the populace, who never utilized these substances. Otherwise, utilization of drugs can be justified through legal frameworks, considering various provisions concerning drug utilization. In accordance to constitutional provisions, every person bears the liberty to control their lives. Since drug utilization becomes a personal matter, the law cannot be justified to carry out any criminal prosecutions. In accordance to liberty to autonomy, each person is required to make decisions concerning their lives on every aspect. Therefore, the government or society has no privilege of paternalism to any person concerning their lives at present and future. These individuals are meant to regulate own their lives to ensure self-autonomy. In America, personal autonomy finds greater emphasis within the constitution, making it a weighty consideration in awarding criminal prosecution. Consequently, individuals who utilize drugs without disturbance of peace towards the rest of the populace can justify their drug use. In fighting drugs within the country and society, the administration and the society may be interfering with the liberty to self-autonomy (Toll 437). Hence, the government has to present another rationale for fighting drug use within the country in order to justify its actions with regard to fighting drugs. The government presents various reasons for its responsibility in fighting drug utilization within the country. Although drugs utilization can be justified with regard to self-autonomy, it cannot be considered moral or satisfactory behavior (Toll 437). Convincing government interest coupled with the moral aspect can be utilized to justify drug wars; that commenced at the closing stages of 19th century to the current epoch (Toll 442). Firstly, the government criminalized drugs with the aim of safeguarding healthiness and safety for the populaces within the society (Toll 441). Drug use cannot be equated to drug abuse implying that, people can utilize any drug as long as they refrain from its abuse. Although emphasis has been established for drugs such as marijuana, other drugs such as nicotine and alcohol are considered legal, even though they cause greater harm as compared to marijuana. This implies that emphasis is required for drugs that cause more harm than others do; thus, war on certain drugs necessitates stoppage. Criminalization of these substances had brought certain effects for drug users since the prices of drugs were overpriced to effect criminalization (Toll 442). Secondly, the government seeks to prohibit crimes, although drug wars have developed or directed to increment of crimes within the society. The crimes have hiked due to criminalization of drug substances, thus heartening organized crimes, since drug sales have turned into profitable ventures (Toll 442). Therefore, the government has only encouraged crimes instead of stopping them within the society through drug wars. Additionally, individuals utilizing drugs commit felonies in order to obtain monetary resources to utilize in the purchase of drugs. Numerous criminal activities are ascribed to alcohol judged against other recreational drugs, implying that wars on illegal drugs have not managed to curb crimes. Drug wars can be considered to bring unprecedented effects to the populace, in addition to the government, in various ways. Since the establishment of drug wars, augments in imprisonment for drug use has substantially increased directing to societal and financial costs (Judicature 3). Societal costs have become evident for many individuals within the society due to augmented incarceration rates. In relation to financial costs, the government utilizes numerous funds in sustaining prisons and other activities involved in prison. Therefore, the government diverts public funds in undertaking these activities instead of carrying out activities that benefit the populace. Imprisonment of women bears numerous social impacts thus necessitating consideration while carrying out imprisonment on women (Judicature 3). In most cases, women utilize drugs for self-medication in solving certain predicaments in their lives (Stephanie 3). This is contrary to males who mainly utilize drugs for recreational purposes. Although drug wars can be justified on certain circumstances, policy makers concentrate on persons with insignificant drug quantities instead of concentrating on the large-scale distributors (Stephanie 2). For this reason, drug wars have led to incarceration of individuals who probably utilize or distribute drugs for the first time. The government needs to concentrate on principal distributors, in order to realize their goals, and prevent diversion of public funds to individuals who have insignificant role in the drug trade (Stephanie 2). Drugs such as marijuana have little consequences as compared to alcohol, which profoundly leads to numerous harms to other individuals. Although alcohol is still considered legal, it causes greater harm to other people within the populace, meaning that measures ought to be taken to curb its effects than marijuana. Marijuana can be measured as a better drug than alcohol since it never causes addictions like other drugs for instance, heroin. Therefore, drug combat ought to be concentrated on drugs such as heroin and alcohol since they have profound public effects. In accordance to liberty of self-autonomy, drug wars for heroin and alcohol appear more realistic than drug wars on marijuana. The government’s criminalization of marijuana only causes unnecessary effects to the populace despite the actuality that the government has blur convincing interest (Toll 448). Drug wars are mainly directed by public policy panics that despite their unsubstantiated theories. The panics concerning drug utilization emanate from forces with insignificant roles in relation to drug problems (IPS 2). The government appears to be aware of the drug scares that emerge from interest groups that hold diverse motives. For instance, Harrison act was utilized to safeguard white females from sexual slavery that was prevalent in Chinese opium hideouts. Drug war has substantially added to the problem of drug utilization despite its motives to stop drug it. Drug wars are ascribed to scares that allow the government to alleviate drug problems, although this strategy seems inapplicable given that it only contributes to more drug problems than indicated by previous records. Politicians have also utilized drug wars for substantiating their agendas as evident with CCPOA (IPS 6). The agendas are always hidden, and have numerous benefits for persons seeking such empowerments. Contrary, drug legalization has its effects and profoundly undermines the society. Legalization of certain drugs under medicinal purposes has not worked in the precedent, as evident with the provision of medicinal heroin for addicts in Britain (Rangel 2). Legalization of this drug leads to sale of the heroin meant for medicinal purposes to non-addicts a factor that substantially influenced the society. Additionally, validation of drugs that can be effected through termination of drug wars can lead to more poverty for individuals with drug abuse problem. Therefore, termination of drug wars can significantly influence the lives of individuals within the society in a negative manner (Rangel 2). Conclusion Although drug use can be substantiated through the Ninth Amendment through utilization of self-autonomy, many drug users present behaviors or actions that dictate the need to fight drugs. Drug wars seem to contribute to various problems within the society, although to some degree it enables alleviation of certain problems. Drug exploitation can be justified through various provisions, although it cannot be substantiated in a similar manner. This implies that despite many supporting statements towards drug utilization, most drugs direct to drug abuse that has profound effects on the lives of other individuals within the society. Nevertheless, drug war has failed to materialize due to unfair treatment of certain cases, and concentration of the least players, instead of concentrating on the principal dealers. Works Cited Institute for Policy Studies (IPS). The War On Drugs: Addicted To Failure. Hicksville: Criminal Justice Media, Inc., 2000. Judicature. It Is Time To End The War On Drugs. Chicago: American Judicature Society, 2009. Rangel, Charles B. Why Drug Legalization Should Be Opposed. Criminal Justice Ethics, Vol. 17, No. 2 (1998): Pp. 2. Stephanie, Bush-Baskette. The War on Drugs and the Incarceration of Mothers. Journal of Drug Issues. Vol. 30, No. 4. (2000): Pp. 919-928. Toll, Kevin S. The Ninth Amendment and America’s Unconstitutional War on Drugs. Univ Detroit Mercy Law Rev 84 no3 Spr 2007. Read More