...Joyce Bullock Thesis Statement and Outline What is your thesis statement? Many people use drugs, but what we don’t realize is the affects that legal and illegal drugs has on society. Is drug use ever ok? Do legal drugs pose more of a threat than illegal drugs with today’s society? It is a fact more people die from prescription drugs use than illegal drugs. You hear about drugs in social media, movies, from friends and peers. Not everything you hear is true it is up to you to decide. I. Introduction Children are taught at a young age that illegal drugs can harm you and lead you down a path of addiction. But what they don’t tell you is that legal drugs which are prescribed are just as dangerous and kill at least 106,000 people every year.(cdc.gov,2013) II. First main point legal drugs vs. illegal drugs A. Supporting details Do legal drugs pose more of a threat than illegal drugs with today’s society? 1. Subdetails 11 percent of American use prescribed drugs(cdcNovenber2100) 2. Subdetails 10,0000-20,000 Americans dies due to illegal drug use B. Supporting details Is drug use ever ok? 1. Subdetails The media paints an biased picture of legal drug use 2. Subdetails The public does not know the effects of legal drug use III. Second main point Hearing about drugs on the news, from social media, friends, family and peers A. Supporting details the media has always painted...
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...Final Paper – Illegal Drug Use ITT Technical Institute - Boise Introduction My position is that illegal drug use is harmful and dangerous. I hope to show in this paper some of the many physical effects illegal drug use can have on the human body. Second, I will show how the use of illegal drugs impacts families in general. Lastly, I will cover the effects of illegal drug use on society as a whole. Background I understand the counter position; others would say that the three most dangerous drugs are drugs that are currently legal. I agree with this statement somewhat, but it is actually the illegal use of the legal drug that is so harmful in this case. So many people and the media focus on illegal drug use and the effects of them that they totally ignore the problems associated with the illegal use of legal drugs and the many problems associated with this type of drug abuse. I believe that the illegal use of prescription drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol, are just as harmful as the drugs that the Federal Government has deemed to be an “illegal drug”. "The misuse of pain medication is probably one of our greatest drug addictions in America right now," Mike Gimbel, a drug expert from St. Joseph Medical Center, said in 2011 (Gimbel, 2011). Another drug that is sometimes used illegally or abused has been around for decades. "Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in our country. I mean, we have over half a million people a year that die as a result of smoking...
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...most abused drug in the United States of America. People believe that by making marijuana legal it can reduce crime and costs of using law enforcement, but the reality is that making marijuana legal can affect many Americans. The cost will just be unbearable due to many addictions, overdose, and juveniles/adults committing delinquency acts because they are under the influence of drugs. Addiction will be the major cause of the United States spending money on overdosed people being admitted to the hospital. Many will not be able to afford visits to the hospital because of their addiction they have nothing left. Car accidents will be immense because being under the influence of any substance can and will impair driving. The cost of making marijuana legal would be ten times more than what the United States is spending on keeping it illegal. Drugs are stimulants that affect the body in many ways. There are many drugs that are legal and many that are illegal. Drugs are used in many ways doctors use it to help people. Then there’s abuse of drugs and addiction of getting drugs illegally to stimulate the body. Marijuana an illegal drug that stimulates the body. Has been the center of attention for a few years now because some Americans believe marijuana should be legal. They believe it can reduce crime and that it can save Americans money as well as making money by selling the illegal drug legally to Americans. Marijuana is the most commonly abused illegal drug in the U.S....
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...When discussing something as controversial as the decriminalization of the use of recreational drugs there must be validity to the argument that you are presenting. The most important point would be what the impact on society would be. There would be without a doubt both a positive as well as a negative result. The most important thing about the outcome would be whether or not the positive result would outweigh the negative. This is where many citizens reach an impasse when arguing the topic. The use of different drugs for recreational purposes has been illegal for many years. There are opinions that are shared by many different people that suggest that the criminalization of recreational drugs is even more harmful to society. With the criminalization of the use of recreational drugs, this in itself yielded both a positive and negative outcome. With drugs being illegal to both use and distribute it keeps more of the population “sober”. People are not always under the influence of substances which can impair their ability to drive, work or operate machinery. This would lead to less fatal accidents including car crashes. Fewer mistakes tend to happen all around. When not under the influence of controlled substances people can perform duties much more efficiently especially while on the job. This in turn leads to better business practices, better customer service, better operational service which also keeps the economy strong. This is how American society has functioned...
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...Marijuana Legal By James Pizzato The topic of whether or not marijuana should be legal has been debated since the early 1900s, when it first became illegal. Before then, marijuana was never known as a recreational drug. Marijuana, in the form of hemp, was used in many resources such as fuel, textiles, and even in medicine. Although marijuana is legal in many states for medicinal purposes only, it is still considered a harmful drug. Making marijuana –which is more beneficial than any other legalized toxic drug—legal in the United States would reduce cost for war on drugs and increase government profit by selling it. History of marijuana use can date all the way back to 2700 B.C. It is noted in what could be the world’s oldest Pharmacopeia as having cures for many ailments such as malaria and absentmindedness. China used the drug in teas to help cure vomiting, stomachache and infections. The drug spread to India and became very popular in healing rituals. Continued use of the drug spread around the world, to Europe, South America, and Africa. Each country used marijuana for similar medicinal uses, as well as recreationally. Marijuana was legal in the United States up until the early 1900s. Previous to this, the drug was very widely known as a medicine. The drug was even noted in the United States Pharmacopeia up until 1942. Marijuana, as a recreational drug, was brought over by the Mexicans after the Mexican Revolution in 1910. Shortly after, the drug started to...
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...DRUGS What is drug? A substance that alters the nervous system and consumed without a prescription, may be addictive and its use usually is socially or legally prohibited or restricted to the field of medicine. A legal drug complies with the rules or the laws established by the U.S. Department of Food and Drug Administration. Illegal drugs is contrary to law or is not permitted by law, it is illegal and is punishable in court with jail against crime to health to enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States and bring to the criminal and civil justice system of the United States the Drug Enforcement Administration is in charge of that. Both illegal and legal drugs have a big impact in society, but their effects are different with individuals and in the society. Drugs not only hurt the person taking it. A lot of other people around you suffer the consequences. The drugs interfere with the relationship with the environment, family and work, and they can seriously compromise the learning process, especially for youth and adolescents. In addition, the drug increased the risk of all types of accidents. Therefore, in addition to the individual consequences, is the whole society (in varying degrees) that suffers from drug problems. And these problems are of all kinds: health, economic, cultural, of insecurity. No wonder, therefore, that drugs pose a collective concern and that, to deal with its consequences, many countries have implemented policies...
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...probably think illegal drugs, drug dealers, and crime. But what most people don’t realize is that Marijuana might be able help with some of today’s most common problems. For an Aids patient Marijuana helps fight appetite loss and headaches. The Marijuana seed is a source of nutritional value, and is a great source for cooking oils and vitamins. Before it was illegalized Marijuana was one of the main sources of paper and clothing. Marijuana can produce four times more fiber per acre than most trees used today. If you do the math on that anyone can see that Marijuana has a great chance of reducing deforestation. The war on drugs has cost our country millions of dollars over the past decades. But not only does the drug problem still exist it has actually grown over the decades. Alcohol causes more accidents and deaths than Marijuana ever has but it is not illegal. Alcohol will never be illegalized because it has always been so relative to most of the world’s cultures, but that doesn’t make it right. Do you still think so negatively of the term Marijuana? This paper will look at the Deontology and Utilitarian views of Marijuana. The purpose of this paper is to examine the rights and wrongs of Marijuana, and whether or not it should be illegalized. Is marijuana really an introductory drug? Many people believe so. In fact I believe it is also but only because that’s how our government makes it out to bad. Marijuana is associated with associated with illegal drug dealers...
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...Drug Policies and Laws CRJ 212 4/28/11 Michael Hall The use of drugs in America is a consensual crime; meaning it involves individuals who commit the crimes willingly. Consensual crime enforcement is a highly debatable topic that attempts to enforce morals in which not all people believe. Scholars debate on which policies better benefit society, whether it is legalization, decriminalization, or restriction, and each have valid arguments. This is important to an American policing standpoint because law enforcement official are the one who have to enforce these policies on a daily basis. To first understand these positions on drugs we must look at their history and effects. A society with little to no drug use is rare in human history (Barkan, 2009). Drug use has occurred throughout history, and was very common in the United States in the late 18th century (2009). Natural drugs (tobacco, marijuana, ergot funguses, coca plants, poppy plants, etc.) and manufactured drugs (ecstasy, methamphetamine, derivatives of plants listed above, etc.) both serve or attempted to serve medical purposes in order to help people. Most people use drugs at one time or another and many frequently use them; aspirin, tobacco, and caffeine are just a few common ones used. In the American society there are “good” (legal) drugs which are socially acceptable, and “bad” (illegal) drugs which are socially unacceptable. Both “good” and “bad” drugs can cause psychological and physical dependence. It is...
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...Psychoactive drugs are defined as a chemical substance that alters perceptions and moods. They fall into three major categories – depressants, stimulants and hallucinogens (pg89). Some of these drugs remain legal while others are deemed illegal. Alcohol (depressant), nicotine (stimulant), and caffeine (stimulant) fall among the legal drug category. Alcohol was once prohibited by the 18th amendment denying the production, sale, and transport of intoxicating liquors and the Volsted Act that was designed to carry out this amendment. Police, courts, and prisons became overwhelmed and organized crime became more prevalent. The 18th amendment was repealed in 1933 by ratification of the 21st amendment, leading to the legalization of alcohol and protecting it by law. Nicotine has been around for thousands of years, its most commonly known form is tobacco (nicotiana tabacum). People have smoked, sniffed, and chewed tobacco; believing at one time that it had medicinal properties. In countries such as Japan and Russia there were harsh penalties for tobacco use and the Roman Catholic Church threatened excommunication to parishioners caught using it. Tobacco smoking became a fad among socialites and celebrities. Advertisements that glamorized smoking went up all over the country and smoking became a socially acceptable addiction. In more recent years stricter sanctions have been put in place, advertisements have been banned, and warning labels have been added to packaging to try and control...
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...Decriminalization and Legalization of Drugs in Canada The Decriminalization and/ or legalization of drugs is a highly contentious issue regarding political, legal, economic, and social implications. It is also a highly contagious issue that the media cannot seem to cure its self of. Then again the public definitely cares about this issue intensely and so do many politicians whether they are users themselves or just simple supporters (of the tax revenues that legalizing certain narcotics will bring in to the country), especially in the United States and Canada where people are being thrown in jail for years only because of small possession charges (more so in the USA). Prisons in The United States are overcrowded with people who shouldn’t be...
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...Will legalizing all drugs reall make any change in the way things are now or will everything stat the same? In "Legalize It All" Derrick Briggs states that "if some drugs are leagal, then all drugs should be legal". Briggs also believes that "legalizing drugs [will] help reduce organized crime and generate significant national revenue" As someone who doesn't have as much f an interest in drugs, it would make no difference if they were legalized or not, whether drugs are available privately when they're illegal or sold in store when they're legal, the crime rate wont change. Not all people who do drugs fall under the stereotypical type, which is generally jobless and hopeless but these people are stil going to struggle with money especially if they're going to have to pay the big bucks. Having more access to drugs could be beneficial to only the people that do drugs but very non-beneficial at the same time. This being said, the more drugs available, the more money you spend buying those drugs meaning you may have to do more illegal things, like stealing to get these drugs....
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...causes of death in America and are legal. While marijuana has virtually zero deaths yet remains illegal because the government can’t profit from making it legal. Hash, tree, reefer, cannabis, gong, chronic, pot, herb and weed are a few of the common slang terms for the widely known controlled subsistence marijuana. “The term ‘marijuana’ refers to the leaves and flowering tops of the cannabis plant. Marijuana is a tobacco like substance produced by drying the leaves and flowering tops of the cannabis plant. Marijuana contains a natural chemical called THC (delta-9-tetrahydocannabinol) which gives users of the drug a ‘high’ when smoked” (What is Marijuana). Marijuana has several different effects, all of which are not severe or extremely harmful. “Some of the effects of marijuana use include increased heart rate, dryness of the mouth, reddening of the eyes, impaired motor skills and concentration, and frequent hunger” (What is Marijuana). According to Pete Guither, marijuana has been recorded to have been used as far back as 7,000 B.C.E. Its common use at the time was to weave fabrics and make rope, shortly after it was used as a recreational drug. Even though it is illegal now, in 1609 Virginia passed a law that required farmers to grow hemp (1). Marijuana should have never been made illegal. There are several reasons as to why it was made illegal, including false statements made to legislature, racist principles, and people’s misconceptions of the drug today. “In 1930, a new division...
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...immense amount of public opinion either for or against it, is the legalization of marijuana in the United States. This is a product that is illegal in 48 states for general recreational use and illegal in 26 states for medicinal use. But our country did not always have this sort of sentiment toward this plant. Marijuana is the mixture of dried and shredded flowers and leaves that come from the hemp plant. In 1619 legislation was passed in Virginia that required every farmer to grow hemp, and it was even used as legal tender in three states. By the 1900’s the drug became associated with immigrants and an anti-drug campaign was started. By 1931, 29 states had outlawed marijuana, and in 1937 the Marijuana Tax Act made is illegal under federal law to possess it (Marijuana timeline). In 1996 California became the first state to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes and as of July 7, 2014 New York became the 23rd state in the U.S. to do the same. A survey found on USAtoday.com stated “that in 7.3% of Americans 12 or older regularly used marijuana in 2012(Leger, 2013),” that is approximately 23.9 million people.” The stance that the federal government is holding firm onto is that marijuana is illegal, and is a schedule 1 controlled drug. There are many advocates in the legalization of this drug deemed by the federal government to be illegal. Most recently the states of Washington and Colorado voted in 2012 to legalize it for sale and recreational use which started in 2014. A big...
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...Introduction The question of whether or not to legalize drugs in America has been a strong debate for many decades. Each year there has been a growing number of deaths because of drugs in the United States. With these numbers, there are still wide spread efforts to legalize illicit drugs around the country. This paper will research drug legalization in the United States versus other countries, the positives and negatives, and a reasoned opinion on the topic. When debating the issue of drug legalization and crime, there are questions to ask: Do drugs cause crime and do they inevitably lead to crime? If drugs are made legal, would there be less crime? If the government subsidized addicts, would they still engage in criminal conduct? What would happen if drugs were legalized (Hartnett, 2005)? States like Washington and Colorado have made Marijuana legal, all other states and countries are watching the results. They are watching what legalizing marijuana does for the economy, tax revenue, and crime reduction. There is an international impact with marijuana legalization. History behind the drug war Throughout the history of the drug war, both state and federal law enforcement agencies have cracked down on both drug abusers and drug dealers. During the late 60s, the U.S. government founded the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD). The BNDD worked a study to find a correlation between crime and heroin addiction. They found that 44 percent of...
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...The History of the War on Drugs in America The War on Drugs here in America has been a stable talking point in politics for at least the last 30 years. And our view on how the war is being handled has been changing every year also. To understand why the current view of the War on Drugs is as it is today, one must look at the history of this war and its effects on the citizens. At the start of the twentieth century, there weren’t any nationwide laws stating that drugs were illegal. There were some state laws that made certain drugs illegal, but those laws were mainly targeting a certain group of individuals like the anti-opium laws that were directed at Chinese immigrants. The first big nationwide law on drug use was passed in 1937 called the Marijuana Tax act, which was developed to tax it to stop the use and distribution of it. The next big law to be passed would be in 1951. The Boggs Act established mandatory minimum federal sentences for possession of certain drugs, such as marijuana, cocaine, and other opiates. Which in 1956 they would increase the sentences with the Narcotic Control Act. While these bills were being enacted into law, the president at the time, Eisenhower established the U.S. Interdepartmental Committee on Narcotics, where in by being the first president to call to arms a war on drugs. The War on Drugs wasn’t officially declared until President Nixon declared drugs as public “enemy number one” in a speech in 1971, which a year earlier the government...
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