Drug Abuse in the United States

Drug Abuse in the United States of America

In the United States of America, we, the people value several things, some of which

are freedom, expanding and taking care of our families and our financial security.

We, the people, take such things for granted. We also discourage some behavior, such as

crime, laziness and use of illegal drugs. Drug abuse is one of the most discouraged

behaviors in our country. Use of illegal drugs is harmful to the userand all those with

whom the user comes in contact. There are over 40 million illegal drug users in the world today and America is the biggest market for drugs1 . There are more drug dealers in this country, than there are dentists. Illegal drug abuse must be stopped; it hurts our society, hurts us, and, most of all, hurts the user. Drug users are parasites,

feeding off society's money, taxes and insurance. Every type of insurance goes up because of drug abuse, including auto, health and homeowners. Worst of all, the crime rate will sky rocket if we let this behavior continue. Illegal drugs and their abusers are a plague to society for many different reasons..

Drugs have very harmful effects on the user and the people with whom the user interacts.

The user is affected in many ways. The most popular drug in America, alcohol, is generally thought of as socially acceptable and relatively harmless. But it can have

devastating effects. Alcohol might seem very harmless but it can harm the user very easily. Alcohol is easy to obtain and consume. It is taken as a beverage and, since it is legal, it can be purchased at the corner store. The immediate effects on the user are relaxation and a slight anesthetic effect. Alcohol is a very addictive drug. There are more than 18 million alcoholics in America2 , an indication of how widespread its harmful effects are. Alcoholics normally drink a lot on mornings and weeknights, at times which separate them for noraml "social" drinkers. Often, the alcohol will bring out a violent temper and often, alcoholics abuse, physically and mentally, their friends and family. Drinking makes the drinker feel he is more confident. The drinker thinks he is in control, even if a little high, and he might get behind the wheel of his car and

go for a drive. Drunk driving is deadly. Hundreds of thousands of people get killed

every year due to drunk driving. Other physical ...

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...tly a problem among teens and teens are our future. Our society is hurt economically because

every year millions of American dollars leave this country illegally, invested in places

such as Turkey and Colombia, as a result of Americans trafficking in the drug trades of

those countries.

Drug abuse must be stopped. We should attack the supply and demand. We should keep drugs from entering the country and incarcerate dealers and smugglers. To attack the demand, we should educate young people on the risk of bodily harm, mental harm and the damage to family and relationships. Legalization of some less harmful drugs, such as marijuana, might help reduce the crimes associated with them, but it would be hard to regulate and legalization would only eliminate some of the direct criminal results, not the actual harm of the drug.

Drug abuse is a plague to society and must be stopped. It is hurting our country

by causing increased crime and soaring insurance rates, stealing tax dollars, hurting

families, and hurting children. If fighting drug abuse were made a top priority, we could probably wage an effective war, through education and enforcement of laws, to stop drug abuse.