Drug Abuse: A Global Crisis Connected to Crime - Research Paper

Introduction

Drug abuse has been a global problem that has affected almost every country in the contemporary World. Many drugs have been established, and the young generation has turned to drug abuse for comfort, entertainment, among other reasons supporting their drug usage. In addition to this, it has been researched over the past few years that its almost automatic how illegal substance use is connected to criminality. However, this phenomenon is based on the assumption that a person is a regular drug abuser, and ignores the effects that the living conditions can have on an individual (Riordan, 2017). Drug abuse usually affect the thinking of a person which might make them perform some actions that might be illegal and against the law, which as a result, leads to criminality. In light of the above discussion, this paper aims at discussing how drug abuse is related to criminality.

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Drug Abuse and Criminality

From the Department of Justice of the United States of America, it's clear that almost half of the inmates detained in the country are drug addicts while those on parole are also associated with drug-related cases. As a result, the Association of Drug Court in the United States carried out a research and concluded that there is a vicious cycle that is observed between poverty, criminality, and drugs use (Casavant & Collin, 2001). The previous relation can be explained in terms of fulfillment of needs. Prostitution, smuggling, stealing, drug dealing, among other criminal activities are as a result of people being unable to fulfill their needs, which prompt them to engage in criminal activities to ensure that their needs are met. In addition to this, drug addicts would do even far worse things to ensure that they get their hands on drugs. For instance, some drugs such as cocaine and heroin are very expensive. If one is addicted to these types of drugs and they are poor, they will be forced to engage in criminal activities to ensure that they get the money required in acquiring these drugs. Some of these criminal activities might include robbery with violence, prostitution, among others.

The psychopharmacological link is the second type of relationship that explains the link between criminality and drug abuse. This link explains how drug intoxication usually leads to violent crimes (Pierce, 2018). Some drugs when used are responsible for perception distortions and inhibitions, paranoia generation, self-control and judgment undermining, among other cases. As a result of the effects of drugs, people might not be in their right minds, and when approaching a specific situation, the judgment of the drug abuser might be impaired which might lead to violent interactions with others, leading to crimes that might make them detained, if forwarded to the necessary authorities. It has been, however, researched that specific types of drugs are associated with violent types of behaviors than other drugs, due to the difference varied drugs have on the nervous system. Some of the drugs leading to violence include alcohol, barbiturates, cocaine, phencyclidine, and amphetamines. Drugs like heroin and marijuana have been researched to create a weaker desire in the user of the drug in causing violence.

The previously discussed relationships can be described as forwarding causation relations where drug abuse is related to obtaining of funds that can be able to satisfy the needs of the user. Reverse causation is the second category that defines the relationship between criminality and drug abuse (Pierce, 2018). Under this category, drug abuse is related to criminal involvement. As a person involves themselves in criminal activities, they usually increase their chances for drug abuse. For instance, a person that might be involved in the murder of another person might find themselves dependent on drugs for the clearance of their conscience. The killing of a person might be somewhat traumatizing or haunting to some killers, and as a result of this, the killers might turn to drugs for comfort, which is a scenario that is very evident in the contemporary World. Therefore, criminality should be first aimed and eliminated if drug abuse is to be abolished altogether.

The systematic link is the third factor in explaining the relationship between criminality and drug abuse. Drug businesses are very profitable even if they are against the law as a result of the rules ascertained to ban drugs usage in a nation. As a result of the profitability of the business, many players are usually involved in this highly profitable and competitive business. Due to the stiff competition experienced in this field, drug dealers usually engage themselves in disputes, racket protection, recovering of debts, among other criminal activities. As a result, it is evident how many drug dealers resort to force to get fairness in their type of business, unlike other drug business that has been licensed by the Government (Casavant & Collin, 2001). For example, alcohol sale is allowed in the United States of America. As a result, cases between dealers of alcohol can be resolved in a court of law, which, therefore, ensure that violence between the dealers is minimized. Fair competition is also enabled as the Government cannot allow the sale of expensive alcoholic drinks to its citizens. However, dealers of illegal drugs have no protection under the law, and they take matters into their hands, leading to criminal activities involvement. These criminal activities by these illegal drug dealers are performed to be able to dominate the market and earn more profits than any player in the drug dealing game. As a result, violence is the main organizational strategy left for drug dealers to use.

Criminal career framework is the last model that will be used in this paper to establish the relationship between drug abuse and criminality. This model explains how criminality can be a career. Criminal engagements is a career when a criminal is involved in a string of numerous and serious offenses in a stretched period of time. This criminal paradigm is connected to contextual factors, substance abuse, and life circumstances (Pierce, 2018). A person, on the other hand, who uses drugs over some time is known to be possessive of the drug career. As drugs are defined to be an influential factor in the criminal career of a person, it is vividly evident that the criminal career and the drug career of a person are easily connected and influential of one another. The relationship between the two has been classified by many researchers as chronic, in opposition to earlier researchers who defined the relationship to be acute. The chronic nature of the relationship leads to deviant lifestyles that might lead to engagement in criminal behaviors (Riordan, 2017). It is evident, therefore that the criminal career of a person is influenced by the deviant lifestyles that are obtained by the person, which are as a result of drug abuse. The two can be described to fall into a cause-effect model where criminal activities are caused by drugs. Researchers should find ways in which the two should be properly mitigated to ensure a healthy society free from drug abuse and criminal activities.

Conclusion

It is indeed true that drug abuse is related to criminality in several ways as explained in the paper. The main reason that proves this relationship is economic oriented, whereby a majority of drug abusers are unable to cope up with the funds required in acquisition of the drugs they desire. Due to this discrepancy of need and resources, drug abusers are usually involved in a string of criminal activities to be able to acquire the drugs. Violence has been identified as one of the criminal activities persistent in drug abusers. Poverty is a major cause of drug abuse since the majority of young adults are unemployed in the streets, and they have to look for other ways of acquiring money, that is, through drugs trafficking. Employment opportunities should be created in the attempt of abolishing poverty which in turn would reduce the dependency to drugs. The reduced drug dependency would lead to decreased deviant lifestyles which usually lead up to the building of a criminal career as discussed earlier. Future researchers should focus on the ways that would mitigate substance abuse, hence leading to decreased criminal activities around the globe, a menace that the whole World is currently facing. Systematic links should be identified, and the dealers of drugs caught to ensure that the market is free from drugs and unnecessary competition that has claimed some lives, as is evident in today's News coverages. In doing this, the menace of drugs and criminality would be abolished altogether.

References

Casavant, L., & Collin, C. (2001, October). ILLEGAL DRUG USE AND CRIME: A COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP. Retrieved from Sen Canada: https://sencanada.ca/content/sen/committee/371/ille/library/collin-e.htm

Pierce, M. (2018, January). What's the Relation Between Drugs and Crime? Retrieved from Simple Recovery: https://www.simplerecovery.com/whats-the-relation-between-drugs-and-crime/

Riordan, K. (2017). The connection between drug use and crime in Western Australia. Edith Cowan University, 396.