Drug Abuse: Societal Cost and Effects on Population - Essay Sample

Introduction

The consumption and misuse of drugs have become quite rampant today in our society and it has affected both the youth and the aging population worldwide (Des Jarlais, 2015). The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) was formulated in order to monitor the trends and prevalence of drugs in the United States and according to this organization, the abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other illicit drugs has cost the nation a rough estimate of $740 billion annually as a result of drug-related incidences like crime, healthcare and loss of work productivity (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2018).

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Today, as a result of the internet and media, there is a lot of negative influence on the young population encouraging them to indulge in drugs since they want to mimic what they see in social media sites as well as in the media. This has led to many young and even old people to get themselves into drugs but the problem is some have failed to control them and now they have become a menace to themselves and the society in general (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2018). This is exactly why it is time for America as well to adapt in order to deal with these drug users in the most suitable and logical way possible.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), roughly 23.5 million Americans of 12 years and above battled substance disorder and alcohol. This is quite a significant number in the American population according to the same survey; crime as a result of substance use has increased by 13% in the past half decade (Des Jarlais, 2015). In most cases, these perpetrators are under the influence of drugs hence their reason to commit a crime and the moment they are arrested and detained, it does not change their mentality on drugs. Once they are released the first thing they think of is indulgence in drugs and the few that managed to abstain from it may backslide due to peer pressure, therefore, showing that the government has not helped these people at all.

The U.S state government currently does not have any leniency on any crimes related to drug use and it's high time that they review their policies in order to help those struggling with substance abuse. Policy changes like introducing new methods of punishing the perpetrators and at the same time helping those with their drug use are required. Federal judges in conjunction with prosecutors have teamed up in order to create special programs that do not require the jail sentence of drug addicts in some states in the United States and it has proven to be quite successful considering the reduction of drug usage in that area (Butler, 2014). States, where addiction is quite rampant like Illinois, New Hampshire, Washington among others, have begun to see the impact of the new special programs formulated by these prosecutors and judges to substitute jail sentences for criminals.

In addition to aiding of the addicts, it is also a much cheaper way considering the fact that a jail sentence constitutes to a daily meal as well as upkeep for the prisoners which is very costly for the state. Also, some disproportionate sentences that were previously issued have been abolished and as a result, some drug cases have been dismissed and forwarded to the special treatment programs for the cases of low-level repeat offenders (Des Jarlais, 2015). These programs make the achievement of sobriety an incentive for these addicts in order for them to avoid prison; a scapegoat for prison sentence which 99% of the addicts opted for and has shown to be of impactful help to them. Many of these people have had a struggle with fighting this addiction but have never really sought such help hence passing through it transforms them thereby reducing the drug addicts as well as the crime rate related to drug use.

It should, however, be noted that these special programs are suitable for only the low-level repeat offenders that the judges will gauge and see fit for the programs. There are some offenders who have committed much more severe offenses despite the fact that drugs were involved and for these cases, they have to undergo the lawful conviction in order for them to understand the magnitude of their offense and afterward they may undergo the special programs in an attempt to achieve sobriety (Butler, 2014). Some of the predicted effects that the policy changes on the state government will have include the reduction of drug addicts generally as a result of achievement of sobriety. As a result of being sober, these individuals will come to their senses and therefore abstain from crimes which they were influenced too by drugs.

The state will, therefore, curb the ever-increasing number of drug users as well as drug-related crimes. In addition to this, the state will cut down the swelling prison costs by a reasonable percentage since instead of convicting most of the drug criminals in accordance with the sentencing guidelines, the alternative which are drug courts or other related programs deal with them and help them get sober as well as avoid incarceration (Butler, 2014). The main aim of the government is to cut down on their costs in all ways possible, to help the drug addicts to become sober and most importantly to reduce crimes. If the state government changes this policy and decides that people convicted of drug possession and consumption to be sent to recovery programs instead of jails, this will deal with all their issues at hand.

References

Butler, S. (2014). Judging Addicts: Drug courts and coercion in the justice system, by Rebecca Tiger. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 21(3), 259-260. doi:10.3109/09687637.2014.890330

Des Jarlais, D. (2015). Drug use data, drug use theories and drug use policies in the United States: a combinatorial lack of connections. Addiction, 110(5), 739-740. doi:10.1111/add.12745

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2018, December 6). Monitoring the Future. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/monitoring-future