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History assignment about drugs grd 11
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Drug Usage in America America has a problem with drugs. In order to understand the problem, we first need to understand what is considered a drug. It is “any ingestible substance that has a noticeable effect on the mind or body”. (Schmalleger, 2011) Drugs are used for medicinal as well as recreational purposes. Unfortunately both types of drugs have played a role in American culture. History of Drug Use Drugs have been part of the American culture as far back as the 1800’s. Using drugs for medicinal purposes existed before the 1800’s but it was during the years 1850 to 1914 when America suffered from what was considered the first epidemic of drug use. Opium During the 1800’s one of the medicinal uses of opiates was targeted toward women for the treatment of “female troubles”. Another interesting aspect of the culture was that alcohol consumption was thought to be unpopular for women but more acceptable for men. The use of opium would not be frowned upon like drinking alcohol would be. These reasons may be contributing factors to the higher incidents of women using opiates. The popular belief is the first drug epidemic began when Chinese immigrants brought the method of smoking opium into the country during the California gold rush. By the late 1890’s opium dens had become popular as dens opened across the country as far away as the eastern coastline. (Illegal Drugs in America: A Modern History, n.d.). Cocaine Cocaine gained popularity in America the late 1800’s as it was used for medicinal purposes in throat lozenges and tonics. “In 1886 John Pemberton of Atlanta, Georgia began to market "Coca-Cola," a syrup derived from coca leaves and African kola nuts. The same year Dr. William Alexander Hammond, the Surgeon-General o... ... middle of paper ... ...useum_idaafde.html Powell, Michael A., "A Comprehensive Analysis of the Drug-Crime Relationship" (2011). Research Papers. Paper 100. Retrieved February 29, 2012, from http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/gs_rp/100 Schmalleger, F. (2011). 16. Drugs and Crime. Criminal justice today: an introductory text for the twenty-first century (11th ed., p. 572). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall. The Buyers - A Social History Of America's Most Popular Drugs | Drug Wars | FRONTLINE | PBS. (n.d.). PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved February 29, 2012, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/buyers/socialhistory.html The History of Illegal Drugs in America | Informative Treatment Articles. (n.d.). The History of Illegal Drugs in America. Retrieved February 27, 2012, from http://www.casapalmera.com/articles/the-history-of-illegal-drugs-in-america/
Drug in the American Society is a book written by Eric Goode. This book, as the title indicates, is about drugs in the American Society. It is especially about the misuse of most drugs, licit or illicit, such us alcohol, marijuana and more. The author wrote this book to give an explanation of the use of different drugs. He wrote a first edition and decided to write this second edition due to critic and also as he mentioned in the preface “there are several reason for these changes. First, the reality of the drug scene has changed substantially in the past dozen or so years. Second much more information has been accumulated about drug use. And third, I’m not the same person I was in 1972.”(vii). The main idea of this book is to inform readers about drugs and their reality. In the book, Goode argued that the effect of a drug is dependent on the societal context in which it is taken. Thus, in one society a particular drug may be a depressant, and in another it may be a stimulant.
Drug use has been an ongoing problem in our country for decades. The use of drugs has been the topic of many political controversies throughout many years. There has been arguments that are for legalizing drugs and the benefits associated with legalization. Also, there are some who are opposed to legalizing drugs and fear that it will create more problems than solve them. Conservatives and liberals often have different opinions for controversial topics such as “the war on drugs,” but it is necessary to analyze both sides in order to gain a full understanding of their beliefs and to decide in a change in policy is in order.
“[The war on drugs] has created a multibillion-dollar black market, enriched organized crime groups and promoted the corruption of government officials throughout the world,” noted Eric Schlosser in his essay, “A People’s Democratic Platform”, which presents a case for decriminalizing controlled substances. Government policies regarding drugs are more focused towards illegalization rather than revitalization. Schlosser identifies a few of the crippling side effects of the current drug policy put in place by the Richard Nixon administration in the 1970s to prohibit drug use and the violence and destruction that ensue from it (Schlosser 3). Ironically, not only is drug use as prevalent as ever, drug-related crime has also become a staple of our society. In fact, the policy of the criminalization of drugs has fostered a steady increase in crime over the past several decades. This research will aim to critically analyze the impact of government statutes regarding drugs on the society as a whole.
The war on drugs in our culture is a continuous action that is swiftly lessening our society. This has been going on for roughly 10-15 years and has yet to slow down in any way. Drugs continue to be a problem for the obvious reason that certain people abuse them in a way that can lead to ultimate harm on such a person. These drugs do not just consist of street drugs (marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy), but prescription medications as well. Although there are some instances where drugs are being used by subjects excessively, there has been medical research to prove that some of these drugs have made a successful impact on certain disorders and diseases.
This temperance movement culminated in the prohibition of alcohol from 1920 to 1933. Recreational drug use, particularly heroin, became more prevalent among the urban poor during the early?60s. Because of the high cost of heroin and its uncertain purity, its use was associated with crime and frequent overdoses. A drug subculture involving the use of marijuana and other hallucinogenic drugs began to emerge in mainstream American society in the late?60s and was loosely associated with an overall atmosphere of political protest concerning the Vietnam War and civil rights. Drug use, including heroin use, was prevalent among soldiers during the Vietnam War and many of them returned addicted.
Drug use and abuse is as old as mankind itself. Human beings have always had a desire to eat or drink substances that make them feel relaxed, stimulated, or euphoric. Wine was used at least from the time of the early Egyptians; narcotics from 4000 B.C.; and medicinal use of marijuana has been dated to 2737 B.C. in China. But it was not until the nineteenth century that the active substances in drugs were extracted. There was a time in history when some of these newly discovered substances, such as morphine, laudanum, cocaine, were completely unregulated and prescribed freely by physicians for a wide variety of ailments.
Here is a little history on drug abuse. According to David Musto (1987) drug abuse has been around for approximately 100 years. Christian organizations had a meeting with congress and made a claim that drug abusers were hazardous, wicked individuals. These groups thought that the drug use among foreign individuals like the Chinamen and corrupt Mexicans were a threat for the American born individuals. These groups convinced Congress to criminalize drugs.
Drug abuse has changed over the years due to the trends that Americans face from the encouragement of different cultures. The abuse of substances creates many health problems. The following will discuss the past and current trends of drug use and the effects these drugs have on the health of the individuals who abuse the drugs.
Walker, Samuel. “Sense and nonsense about crime and drugs: a policy guide.” 6th ed., California:
Drugs have been one of the largest epidemics that has effected America as far as its criminal justice system. Drugs continue to take a toll on many individuals lives and make it difficult for the government to do their job, especially police officers and policy makers. Drugs mainly play a large role when it comes to mass incarceration, sex offenses, school-to-prison pipeline, and gun violence. Drugs effect people and their decisions within their lives which leads to drug related crimes, and teens being misled. Within this paper, I will give brief overview of how drugs has effected: mass incarceration, sex offenses, school-to-prison pipeline, and gun violence.
One of the most prevalent misconceptions, Benson and Rasmussen, contend is the notion that a large percentage of drug users commit nondrug crimes, what might be called the “drugs-cause-crime” assumption implicit in the government’s drug-war strategy. If true, then an effective crackdown on drug use would reduce nondrug crime rates.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Before the 1900’s there were no drug criminals because there were no drug laws. In fact, in late nineteenth century America it was possible to buy, in a store or by mail order, many medicines (or alleged medicines) containing morphine, cocaine, and heroin. ("Drugs—A Long and Varied History.”4) Opiates have a history of treating aliments such as headaches, epilepsy, asthma, cold symptoms, pain and sleeplessness. Cocaine was used as a numbing agent. Different hallucinogens were used in psychotherapy treatments. Cannabis was used as an anesthetic, antispasmodic, antidepressant, appetite stimulant, anti-asthmatic, and ...
...l be there. In America, it began in 1762 when Virginia awarded bounties for hemp culture and manufacture, and imposed penalties upon those who did not produce it. The first anti-drug law in America was in 1875 when San Francisco outlawed smoking opium in opium dens. In 1937 Marijuana had a tax put on it, but still not illegal. The 1937 Act was then repealed by the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970. Currently, the War on Drugs has been the major fight against drug abuse for the past thirty years. It has been a major expense to the American peoples’ tax dollars.
The "War on Drugs" Palo Alto: Mayfield, 1986. Kennedy, X.J., Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Jane E. Aaron, eds. The Bedford Reader. 6th ed. of the book.
From the very beginning of human history, drugs have been used for medicine and recreation, some of these recreational uses have been good while others have been lethal. The first known uses drugs comes from the time of the Sumerians around the year 5000 BC. Thousands of years went by before the next recording of drug use with people in Switzerland eating poppy