## drugs law in the usa

  
  
Please assist in review! Need three area of weakness: Transition sentence to get from the previous paragraph, Topic sentence, Supporting evidence: quotations, summaries, and/or paraphrases, Analysis and comments on supporting evidence, Concluding Sentence.  
  
The war on drugs is not as successful as it might appear, despite the fact that the DEA continues to request increases to their budget. A large percentage of the population has known someone who has or continues to struggle with addiction, therefore showing not just a failure to create a drug free America, but shows how it has slowed progress on obtaining an effective solution. Americans continue to create negative stigmas and false perceptions about the real issue. Legalization of drugs for personal use is going to drastically improve the lives of Americans in the United States and introduce a more competent, tolerant society.  
  
President Nixon began "the war on drugs" in 1971, and it has continued to grow for the past four decades. ("The War on Drugs"). The war initially began as a task force comprised of eight youth and four adults who were originally tasked with discussing ten items that most concerned the youth of America. This task force argued that we needed to address the root causes of abuse and advocated for "therapy for addicts rather than incarceration or punishment".  
  
Nixon, however, saw drugs users as criminals "who deserved only incarceration and punishment." This attitude has set the foundation for the plethora of Presidents after him to further increase the divide between spending for prevention of drug abuse and law enforcement spending. Viewing drug addiction as a health issue would focus on effectively rooting out and diminishing the causes and continuation of abuse. With Nixon's approach to criminalize the issue versus treating addicts as Americans in need of health assistance, he distanced the United States away from an approach that would adequately provide an effective resolution.  
  
America has inconsistent laws that vary between states, and even differ from federal laws. The confusing and often overwhelming judicial system can make it harder for those struggling to seek, find, and accept treatment for their addictions. Furthermore, this approach distances undereducated communities, with less resources to understanding their rights and the law itself. These communities cannot thrive in a court of law that restricts them from understanding their very rights, or even offenses. The war on drugs drew a particular focus on lower income communities, further affecting those with less resources to help prevent drug addiction (i.e. health care), and less legal resources to help them when facing legal consequences ("The War on Drugs"). In addition, America often stigmatizes drug users, which can cause delays or even complete avoidance of treatment. It is time for the United States to take action, change the current laws and start treating their citizens as humans rather than simply criminals.  
  
Even celebrities do not escape the clutches of discrimination, with countless lives lost and more often than not, a life discredited because they used drugs. Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston, Heath Ledger, Philip Seymour Hoffman are all celebrities we all know whose life was cut short due to drug abuse. Each one of them was defamed by both the media and general public over the drug use that led to their untimely deaths. Much of the general public, however, turns to drug use as a way to cope with health issues, mental health in particular ("Mental Health").  
  
Incarceration rates in America are higher than any other country in the world. According to the Bureau of Justice statistics, the most recent total prison population information that includes both federal and state inmate information shows that the total number of inmates in America in 2015 was 1,526,792 ("Bureau of Justice"). The most recent numbers provided by the Federal Bureau of Prisons ("BOP") state that there were 185,232 federal inmates as of September 27th, 2017. Of these, 80,585 inmates were in for drug offenses. This translates to 46.3 percent of the total federal inmate population.  
  
Laws regarding drug possession vary widely across the United States. For example, as noted by the Washington Post, Oregon has decriminalized possession of small amounts of illegal drugs by first time offenders ("Oregon Legislature passes Bill"). In contrast, in Florida, a first time offender who is convicted of cocaine possession can receive a third degree felony possession charge ("Florida Drug Possession Laws"). The dichotomy between state and federal laws is even more astounding. For instance, cannabis is still illegal under federal laws across the Unites States. However, seven states have legalized marijuana for recreational use and twenty two others have legalized it for medical use ("State Marijuana Laws").  
  
Decriminalizing drugs for person use will reduce costs across many avenues. Law enforcement costs will decrease. There will be less crime, and violence will be reduced by both law enforcement and criminals as the value of drugs decreases. By default, Cartels will reduce in size as the cash flow decreases, leading to fewer drug traffickers. In addition, the DEA and Border Patrol will need to make fewer arrests.  
  
Currently, the cost of housing inmates continues to rise at a precipitous rate. According to the Office of the Federal Register, the cost of incarceration for federal inmates was $26,082 in 2015. In 2016, that amount increased to $31,977 (Annual Determination"). The Office National Drug Control Policy has also increased its budget request. In 2018, the budget request is listed at $27.8 billion, an increase of $930 million over the 2017 budget report (Drug War Facts).  
  
The cost of the drug war cannot only be determined by the amount of money that the government is spending. There is also an enormous cost to both offenders and their families. There is a loss of income for the family household even as their legal fees may be rising. There are traveling costs for the families of the offenders when visiting. There is also the psychological burden on the family, primarily on the children who are growing up without a parent, in some cases both parents. It is well known that children from broken homes have a higher tendency to commit crimes as they mature ("How Much Does It Cost").  
  
Treating drug abuse as a public health issue is going to reduce recidivism of drug abusers and improve public health and safety. Prevention programs reduce rates of drug use in both youth and adults. Research consistently shows the benefit of treatment programs for drug abusers via interventions works. One of these interventions is the use of drug courts ("Treating Drug Abuse"). According to National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP), treating drug abuse through the use of drug court reduces the rate of relapse, noting that "75% of drug court graduates remain arrest free at least two years after leaving the program" ("Drug Courts work").In addition, NADCP studies show that crime reduction can endure in some cases for over 14 years, and overall drug courts can "reduce crime as much as 45 percent more than other sentencing options."  
  
Humans by nature make mistakes. However, when branded a drug abuser, it seems that many people think that your life ceases to hold as much value. There is a stigma in America with regard to drug users. People who struggle with addiction are called names such as crackhead, stoner, junkie, and tweaker, among others. As a result of discrimination, many users will refuse to seek treatment out of fear, guilt or shame. According to an article written by Recovery Hub, stigma is the greatest barrier to treatment for patients. This language "encourages [shame or guilt] about their substance abuse issues as well as "encourages rejection, discrimination, and incarceration of people [with] addiction struggles" ("Words Can Hurt").  
  
This discrimination against drug users caused the World Health Organization to make a recent statement in conjunction with The United Nations regarding ending discrimination in health care settings ("Joint United Nations Statement"). Here, they affirm that all stakeholders should "join in...reviewing and strengthening laws to prohibit discrimination...[including] laws that criminalize or otherwise prohibit...drug use or possession of drugs for personal use." This one statement, coming from two of the most powerful organizations in the world, shows a shift in support for individuals over current laws in a multitude of countries.  
  
Portugal decriminalized consumption of all narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in 2002 ("The 15th anniversary"). They have been treating this susceptible population with honor and grace for the past decade, with many other countries following suit. It's time for the United States to stand up, make changes to the current drug laws, and treat some of its most vulnerable citizens the way Portugal has been treating theirs: with Dignity and Respect.