World+Drug+Problem

The World Drug Problem

The conditions of drug abuse can long be linked to the simple desire to escape stress and everyday life. A seemingly difficult problem with a seemingly easy solution. Drugs have been glamorized in the modern society. Films, music, television and other media have discretely, if unintentionally, "promoted" illegal drugs use. Teenaged girls have been led to believe the use of drugs is a "safe and quick" way to lose weight. Even though the dangers of illegal drugs are common knowledge, the generation has ignored it. Drug abuse tends to repeat a cycle that expands with time and affects people around the user. If a parent in a family is a drug user, the money they spend on illegal substances can cripple their financial situation, their mood would be affected by their activities, and domestic violence is common in drug-related families. Having been raised in that environment, children have more of a chance of becoming drug or alcohol abusers in their life as well. However, the world of drug abuse goes beyond this small example because of the easy access that all young people have to the drug market. user:allycatmouseuser:taytay8

What's the Problem? The drug market is a global black market, involved with the growth, lab production, smuggling and sale of illicit drugs. Estimated by the United Nations to be worth $400,000,000,000 a year, the drug market has a major influence in world violence. Terrorist groups such as the PKK, Kurdistan Workers' Party, are active in drug trade, contributing to the war on terror as well as the war on drugs. Global production of coca, marijuana, opium poppies and hashish increased sharply in the last year, partly because of political and economic instability in drug-producing countries. Third world countries are ideal places for this to occur. In third world countries, leaders are often corrupted by drug trade, because of the money that is contributed to their organizations or government. Despite the heavy laws and punishments of drug distribution, such as death penalty in the Philippines, the black market continues strongly. Organizations find ways to effectively transfer drugs across continents, like the use of mules, people who internally carry balloons filled with illicit substances. user:allycatmouse The worldwide drug epidemic is not a new problem. It is perhaps one of the oldest, most diverse, and most secure underground operations to date. All over the industrialized countries, drugs have been named the cool (but dangerous) recreational activity. The Netherlands have began using drive-through drug cafes for so-called "recreational" drugs. This is supposed to keep people from going to drug dealers for harder drugs. Teens everywhere use drugs to self-medicate for their depression and yet the marijuana causes the users to be three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts. On average, one fourth of students have been given, offered, or sold drugs on a school campus in the United States each year. Seventy-five students were arrested in San Diego during a drug raid on April 27th. In Europe, a third of 16-35 year-old males and a quarter of females deliberately use drugs like marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine to have "better" sexual experiences. A majority of these later regret this decision. In the late 90's, 6% of murders were related to drug use in the U.S. People of third world countries already have financial problems and this would exasperate the troubled economies. user:taytay8 user:allycatmouse

Also, there are constant debates of the use of illegal drugs for medicinal research. Methamphetamine are used to treat patients with ADHD, narcolepsy and those who suffer from obesity, and "medicinal marijuana" is used as a treatment for pain and multiple sclerosis even though it was decided that this remedy should not be legalized except in the form of a patch given by doctors.. The main ingredient in ecstasy, MDMA, is effective in the treatment of people with post-traumatic stress disorder and severe anxiety. Psylocibin and LSD are being researched for the relief of cluster headaches. Prescription drugs have become such a commonly abused substance that even allergy medicine is now restricted at pharmacies and on school campuses. user:allycatmouseuser:taytay8 What about third world countries? Most drugs are made in developing countries, mainly in South America. Most of the time drugs are smuggled out of these countries and into others in violent and unsafe ways. Panama had a ship twenty tons of cocaine busted by the United States' Coast Guard in 2007. 90% of cocaine found in the U.S. originates in Colombia. 40% of Bolivia's workforce depends on this illegal trade to make a living. Too much of the third world economies depend on the illegal drug trade. This means that a majority of the citizens would not support the drug-free movement until new ways to make money are realized. If the citizens took the action to stop the drug trade now, the problem of their troubled economies would be exasperated. Nobody would willingly give up their financial security for others to be drug-free. Most people think about their own well-being before the safety of strangers. However, if other suggestions were made and help was given to realize these new possibilities, the people could begin to work toward the greater good. Unfortunately, the third world governments are corrupted by the money that is brought in by this trade. user:taytay8

Drug Trafficking

Illicit drug use and smuggling has become a lifestyle for approximately 30% of the world's population. These illegal drugs kill innocent people everyday, like kids who try drugs for the first time, and put growers, users, and distributors behind bars on a daily basis. In prisons around the world, there is an approximate 21% of inmates who are serving time for drug related offenses. This brings me to these questions, who supplies countries with drugs and how?user:taytay8

These questions are answered simply; drugs are brought in to countries by people in other countries. These are not your everyday citizens, though, these are little, powerful groups of people who grow, sell, ship, and use drugs under a weak government to make all their money. One such country is Afghanistan. This country is just starting to get back on its feet after all the wars and terrorism that have occured there in the last couple of decades. The growing of opium poppies in Afghanistan has drastically become this country's biggest crop due to the fact that it is easy money; it is most people's only way of living and the War on Terror has become more important to the industrialized countries than finding poppy growers. Since 2003, the production of opium poppies has more than doubled and is still on the climb. How are these drugs traffiked after growth?user:taytay8 user:larry13 Drugs are traffiked throughout the world by foot, car, donkey, ship, flight, and even in people's stomachs by pounds or kilos. The transporters of illegal substances are generally in street gangs or mafia-like groups. Most street gangs have a hand in the drug world. Often, each gang sells a different type of drug within their territory. The Latin Kings in Louisiana sell Oxycotin and many Mexican gangs sell marijuana. Bigger drug Lords such as Alejandro Bernal, a man in Colombia who runs a drug gang, ships twenty to thirty metric tons into the United States every month. This group ran by Bernal alone earns fifty-two billion dollars a year just in the selling of cocaine. Can these major drug gangs be stopped?user:taytay8

Effects

According to the World Drug Report 2007, 200 million people worldwide used an illicit drug within the last 12 months and 25 million have a "drug problem". Drug abuse effects societies throughout the world on every level. Drug abuse puts a strain on individuals, families, communities, healthcare systems, welfare systems, legal systems, and entire governments. The individual with an addiction finds him/herself alienated from friends and family as their addiction becomes the priority in their life. The need to satisfy the craving for whichever drug (nicotine, alcohol, pharmaceuticals, methamphetamines, cocaine, heroine...) comes before all else even food. The drug abuser may eventually lose their job, health, family, friends, freedom, or life. Children of drug addicts are often neglected and abused. Family members struggle to help their loved ones in fighting the addiction. They may offer the addict help by paying for rehabilitation, finding them a job, or offer them shelter, etc. Soon the family's resources and patience are used up and the community and/or government takes on the burden of caring for the drug addict. This burden both socially and economically has a heavy impact.user:showbiz21

Drugs do damage to people's bodies. Drug addicts usually end up in hospitals or clincs with many resources being used to help them recover from the harmful effects of drugs. Legal systems are forced to have more police officers, lawyers, judges and prisons to contain the problem. Due to the effects of drugs on people, many lose their jobs, go on unemployment, and use welfare. Drug labs, such as meth labs, effect the environment by introducing harmful drugs into the ecosystem which means organizations need to be created to clean the pollution. The expense of all these government services is covered by the taxpayers. According to the National Drug Threat Assessment 2006, "In 2002, the economic cost of drug abuse to the United States was 181 billion dollars." This is in the U.S. alone. Imagine the cost worldwide.user:showbiz21

Although the negative effects of drug abuse are widespread, some societies profit from the production and selling of drugs. In such places as Afghanistan, South East Asia, and Latin America the sale of drugs continues to thrive. Drugs such as opium, marijuana, and cocaine are cultivated and distributed to sustain the economies of communities within these areas. People work on drug farms and other facilities and are dependent on the drug cartels for the necessities of life.user:showbiz21

Oraganizations

Stop the Drug War (DRCNet) is an international organization working for an end to drug prohibition worldwide and for interim policy reform in US drug laws and criminal justice system. It was founded in 1993 to repeal the Higher Education Act which denies financial aid to would be students because of drug convictions. DRCNet opposes the prison-building frenzy and supports rational policies consistent with the principles of peace, justice, freedom, compassion and truth. Each of these has been compromised in the name of the Drug War. Some people just do not seem to be able to find a balance between fighting for the world to be drug free and juvenile mistakes that no longer need to be punished.user:larry13user:taytay8

The NDPL is also another drug organization that opposes the DRCNet and promotes individual, family and community health and well-being by strengthening support for drug abuse prevention. The organization aims to prevent use of alcohol and tobacco by underage youth. It too tries to prevent abuse of alcohol, tobacco, medicines, and illicit drug use by all.user:larry13 Another such drug organization that opposes the use and trafficking of drugs is The National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC). It was established by the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1993 (Public Law 102-396) signed into law on October 6, 1992. Under the direction and control of the Attorney General, NDIC was established to coordinate and consolidate drug intelligence from all national security and law enforcement agencies, and produce information regarding the structure, membership, finances, communications, and activities of drug trafficking organizations. user:larry13  Is There a Solution?

“Shared the need to have a safe border that will close the gates to drugs, arms and terrorism and that will open its doors to prosperity and trade.” George Bushuser:larry13

People and organizations are trying to fix this epidemic, but money and resources are less than needed. Medicinal marijuana was not passed as a law in the United States. The state of New York has created a tax on drugs like marijuana and cocaine to be paid by the drug dealer. Many countries have harsh punishments for the people who break the laws on drugs. Some countries like Singapore and Thailand still use the death penalty for the breaking of the drug laws. Some people are working at a local level to prevent from becoming drug users. Unfortunately, this is trying to stop the problem too late. A way to stop drugs from being grown needs to be found.user:taytay8

"The world drug problem is a major issue with no simple solution, if a solution is possible to achieve.When we turn to the government to stop someone from ruining his life with drugs, we convert a personal tragedy into a national disaster." - Harry Brown, Libertarian Party-user:larry13

Underground operations are difficult to track and shut down, and street marketers are careful to be elusive of the police. Third world countries that depend heavily on their illegal drug trade are unlikely to give in their primary source of support. Drug dealers are some of the only people to lend support financially to their governments. This causes the goverenment officials to turn a blind eye to this problem. Drugs continue to be glamorized in society and are common as "recreation." People suffer as a result of drug abusers in their families, or circle of friends by taking the drugs in secondhand or by the abusive behavior exhibited by the user. Even if a person does not use illegal drugs, the career of growing, making, or dealing with illicit substances is dangerous and risky. Violence, murder and other crimes stem off drug abuse as people are willing to steal in order to have money for drugs and kill to keep their activities secret. Laws are passed to prevent the drug market, but they are hardly obeyed, and the criminal activity continues on. The only positive perks of illegal drugs, their possible medicinal use, is objected and forbidden. user:allycatmouseuser:taytay8

The worldwide drug epidemic and the major drug gangs can be stopped and continually are stopped by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). In the past year, the DEA has seized 1.4 billion dollars in drug related assets.“These arrests demonstrate the combined will of law enforcement to put an end to illicit smuggling, be it illegal narcotics or intellectual property," DEA Special Agent-in-Charge JOHN P. GILBRIDE. This may seem like this agency is doing a very good job in the fight against drugs, but in actuality there are 64 billion dollars worth of in just the United States. The DEA confinscates below 1% of the drug flow in America. Theoretically speaking, major drug gangs cannot be stopped. They may be put on hold for awhile, but afterwards they are right back in the game. It is a lose lose situation for the Drug Enforcement Administration. The war on drugs is a lost cause that may never be won, unless people make a joint effort towards this goal and resources of first world countries are used to fund organizations like the DEA. This is because of the financial benefits to the powerful and important people. As long as the people who are in a position to stop this epidemic are unharmed and apathetic not much will be accomplished.user:taytay8user:larry13

The New York Times. . __Science Daily: Health and Medicine News__. . National Drug Intelligence Center.  Ndpl.org  NIDA  British Broadcasting Company http://www.bbc.co.uk/ Fact Monster http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/sci/A0857826 USDOJ http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs11/18862/impact.htm
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