The War On Drugs And Illegal Drugs - 1878 Words

It has been over forty-three years since the United States first waged the â€Å"War on Drugs†. This war has cost hundreds of billions of dollars to fight and has supplied our country with a plethora of mixed results as well as emotions. We have seen fluctuations in the numbers over the years, which can be linked to different social fads and political agendas. Despite the enormous amount of money we have spent to rid our country of illegal drugs, we still face all time high addiction and distribution rates today. These strict drug laws have created an overflow of prisoners, many of whom are convicted upon non-violent drug charges, and have transformed them from tax paying citizens into an even larger tax burden for the community. Through President Nixon’s declaration of the â€Å"War on Drugs†, to the adventurous peaks of drug use in the late 70 s, to the rise of the crack cocaine industry in the 80 s and now the legalization of recreational cannabis use, th is paper will explain why drugs not only continue to flow across the American borders at an alarming rate, but also attempt to uncover the effectiveness of this war. Starting in 1970 we witness the birth of the â€Å"War on Drugs† with the passing of a Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control act. This act provided a new framework for the regulation and enforcement of drug possession and other drug related crime. For more serious crimes such as drug trafficking the act established tough penalties while lesseningShow MoreRelatedThe War On Drugs, And Sale Of Illegal Drugs1865 Words   |  8 Pages abuse, and sale of illegal drugs is an epidemic that has remained an unsolved problem of the United States. The biggest effort that the United States has launched in order to deal with rampancy of drug issues is the War on Drugs that was started by former president Richard Nixon. During its beginning, the War on Drugs was controversial due to the attitudes that were directed to drug users that were cultivated by the policies being set. In the present day, the War on Drugs is under scrutiny asRead MoreThe War On Drugs : Illegal, Healthy Or Unhealthy And Safe Or Unsafe1762 Words   |  8 PagesWhether legal or illegal, healthy or unhealthy and safe or unsafe; Drugs form a very significant part of the global society today. As the world s drug problem persists, issues continue to haunt communities. The US government has spent and will continue to spend billions of precious tax dollars every year on the war against drugs. And the parties that insist that criminalizing drugs is the way persist, however, there is much more reason to decriminalize drug use. Wilson’s argument against decriminalizationRead MoreFederal And Illegal Drugs : Why Do Americans Make War On Some Drugs And Build Fortunes On Others?1409 Words   |  6 Pagesthe use and abuse of legal and illegal drugs is very common. As Rosenberg states in â€Å"In Drugs We Trust: Why Do Americans Make War on Some Drugs and Build Fortunes on Others?† if something is called a drug, people will â€Å"nod their heads, understanding what you mean: Youâ €™re deeply attached to it and you can’t live without it, even though you suspect that there’s something wrong with it† (pg.2). The legality of various drugs has changed over time. The definition of a drug, is any substance that has theRead MoreGood Storms Coming : Relevance And Implications Of The Philippine War Against Illegal Drugs Essay1484 Words   |  6 PagesPhilippine War against Illegal Drugs of the Duterte Administration Duterte s policy is counterproductive and doing the opposite: it is slaughtering people, it is making the retail (drug) market violent—as a result of state actions, extrajudicial killings and vigilante killings. – Vanda Felbab-Brown, urban violence and internal conflict expert at Brookings Institution Perhaps, Felbab-Brown pointed out something striking from the Philippine president s strategy of confronting drug criminalityRead MorePros And Cons Of War On Drugs889 Words   |  4 PagesWar on Drugs Introduction In 1971, President Nixon created the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 commonly known as the War on Drugs. The war on drugs was implemented to combat production, distribution, and consumption of illegal drugs (Olaya Angel, 2017). In 2007, law enforcement officers made approximately two million drug arrests in the United States (Potter, 2014). Supporters state that the war on drugs was successful because it lowered some drug users in the UnitedRead MoreThe War On Drugs Should Be Discontinued986 Words   |  4 Pagesthese ‘criminals’ America spends that wad of cash on were arrested for non-violent drug charges, and are not a danger to America’s safety at all. Drugs are no good, but do not cause harm to anyone but the user. That is, until these drugs are made illegal and drug cartels see huge profits in the illegal trade that they are willing to kill for. In 1971 President Nixon waged, quite dramatically, a full-blown war against drugs abu se, claiming that addiction is directly related to crime. Instead of offeringRead MoreEssay Why All Drugs Should Be Legalized 1468 Words   |  6 Pagesforgetting the modern day prohibition: The War on Drugs. The History of The war on drugs Why didn’t we listen to Lincoln? People have been using drugs for thousands of years. The first anti-drug laws in the USA were solely based on the public’s views on the laws; mostly racist propaganda. The very first anti-drug law was outlawing Opium in 1870 which was aimed at Chinese immigrants. Then in the 1920’s Cocaine became illegal; which was aimed at Black men. The first drug laws were just about the governmentRead More Methods of Trafficking and Counters Essay1218 Words   |  5 Pagesmake fortunes through the illegal trade of drugs. This type of business gives the highest return of dollars spent, but is one of the hardest products to ship. There are many techniques that have been used throughout the years in order to try and get the illegal substances into the United States, which leads to the government’s response to counter the illegal transshipments. Although the War on Drugs appears to be a futile effort, there are many ways to tighten down on the drug traffickers and successfullyRead MoreMarijuana must Be Legalized941 Words   |  4 Pagesprohibition of marijuana and other drugs. Many people have many opinions if marijuana should be legalized or not. It’s not as easy as just looking at the pros and cons. Our government needs to determine if the prohibition of drugs is actually promoting greater health, safety, and productivity, as well as lowering violence and criminal justice costs. After reading this research paper and seeing the evidence, hopefully you will agree with me that the drug war we are fighting is not promoting greaterRead MoreEssay on The War On Drugs1079 Words   |  5 PagesIn recent years the so-called â€Å"war on drugs† has taken over the streets and back alleys of suburban America. It has caused a problem that mirrors the prohibition days of the 1920’s and early 30’s. Politicians trying to play â€Å"tough guy,† are only contributing to more violence. Their l aws have created an underground drug-trade, in which modern drug-dealers have taken the place of the bootleggers of old. The real question is whether or not this â€Å"war† is working. Most people would like to believe that