US Drug Policy: Improving Public Health & Safety - Essay Sample

Introduction

The drug policy of the US is an establishment by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. The policy was established by the Anti-drug Abuse Act of 1988. The policy clearly states its goals and priorities which are divided into two specific goals of improving the public health and safety of American people and curtailing drug consumption in the country. A deeper look into the functioning of the government reveals how the three arms of government have helped in the implementation of the policy. This paper provides a general understanding of the drug law and its implementation in the US.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Purpose and Goals

According to the Drug Library (2019), the National drug-control policy of the US is based on education, prevention, treatment and research to reduce the supply of drugs to the country. This policy is created with the following purpose and goals:

• To educate American youth and enable them to refuse illegal drugs and other drug-related substances.
• Reduce social and health costs of the public about illicit drug use
• Increase the safety of the country's citizens by reducing drug-related violence and crime
• To shield America's land, sea and air arenas from the drug threat
• Destroy domestic and foreign sources of supply (Drug Library, 2019)

Role of Three Branches of Government

Public policies are developed as counteractive measures governments use to solve a problem affecting citizens and improve their lives. According to Miller (2010), all branches of government play active roles in the passing of public policies. Generally, a more significant percentage of the public assumes that the judiciary only interprets and applies laws once they confirm the system is in agreement with the constitution. Barbara (2008) says that the central role of the court in the drug policy legitimization is to carry out the goals of the policy. This means that in the drug policy, the judiciary makes sure that those supplying drugs to citizens are punished, those found with drugs face the full force of the law and allow institutions to educate youths on the dangers of drugs.

The executive branch operates under the constitution because of the president's inability to enforce laws. The executive branch in the drug policy is responsible for implementing regulations. According to Trethan (2010), the executive branch identifies issues in the drug policy initiates the process of legitimization. The legislative branch is responsible for passing laws and bills (Trethan, 2010). Despite the legal power to make laws, this branch can pass statements made by other departments.

Effect on Internationalism

The drug policy affects US implementation of globalism because it is fixated on the United Nations world drug problem. While pointing towards the global drug problem, the US adds to the principle of harm reduction by identifying a set of strategies and ideas that can reduce adverse outcomes linked to the use of drugs. How the drug policy in the US has been implemented effects the principle of internationalism because it has profound impacts throughout the world by 1- setting the tone on drug policy, 2- ceasing to be a bystander to policy change.

Role of Media in Drug Policy Action

Policy making is always considered a political process. However, what people do not know is that this political process is affected by a wide range of economic and social factors with the media playing a vital role to shape the social context in which these policies are developed. It is through the media that the public learns how the drug policy affects them while the government gets feedback from the interaction between the media and the people. In development by Christian (2013), he states that the primary role of the press is to act as the link between those with the need to influence policy and policymakers by regulating the flow of information between the two. While doing this, the media also plays a vital role in critically scrutinizing governmental affairs to ensure that the US administration can be held accountable by the people (Christian, 2013).

How is Each Level of Government AffectedThe drug policy affects the federal government as it places constraints on its efforts to establish interagency ties where administrators of the system would be taught on how to coordinate everything. While affecting the federal government, the drug czar committee from the federal government will be tasked with focusing their efforts on small groups that would increase the level of coordination. Once national government target groups are identified, administrators would them move to an active role of developing cooperation among state agencies using incentives and resources. With this said, the drug policy affects the state level of government economic wise because state governments are primarily in charge of providing resources and incentives that would build trust between citizens and the government (RAND Corporation, 2019).

How Political Party Affiliation Affects Drug Policy Belief

In a survey by Pew Research Center (2017), it is indicated that about eighty-six per cent of American citizens believe that the US is more divided politically than ever before. This is due to the high presence of polarized viewpoints regarding topics such as foreign trade, immigration, drug use among other issues. Does being a democrat, republican or an independent affect citizens' perception of drug policy? After the previous presidential elections, the majority of participants who voted for Hillary Clinton believed that drug policies should be less strict. This means that Democrats advocated for more lenient drug laws. Republicans on the other hand, as Trump's voters responded, drug policies should be more rigid and more stringent. The results from this survey mean that the drug crisis in American lacks a consensus because support and lack of support are as a result of one's political affiliation. The results from this study also supported the idea that being affiliated to a particular political party could powerfully affect's one's behavior and attitude because individual opinions are from biased political information.

References

Barbara, A. (2008). American government and politics today 2008: The essentials. New York. Barnes & Noble.Christian. (2013). The Media's Role in the Policymaking Process. Retrieved from http://www.aalep.eu/media%E2%80%99s-role-policymaking-process

Drug Library. (2019). Chapter 20- Public Policy in other Countries- US. Retrieved from http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/library/studies/canadasenate/vol3/chapter20_us_Federal_drug_policy_goals_and_objectives.htm RAND Corporation. (2019). Coordinating Drug Policy at the State and Federal Levels. Retrieved from https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB6005/index1.html

Pew Research Center. (2017). On Eve of Inauguration, Americans Expect Nation's Deep Political Divisions to Persist. Retrieved from https://www.people-press.org/2017/01/19/on-eve-of-inauguration-americans-expect-nations-deep-political-divisions-to-persist/

Miller, C. (2010). The policy making process. Retrieved June 18, 2010, from,http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/The-Policymaking-Process.topicArticleId-65383,articleId-65551.html

Trethan, P. (2010). The Branches of Government. Retrieved June 18, 2010, from,http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/usconstitution/a/branches.htm