Drug Use Causes Crime Essay

Hypothesis I-Drug Use Causes Crime, is illicit drug use historically has been associated with crime because of the racial fears surrounding the possible side effects on any ethnical group. Pharmacological violence is relative to this hypothesis because it is the study of the effects drugs have on the perpetrator under the influence of a particular psychoactive substance. The implications that the drug usage causes violence cannot be proven beyond any shadow of doubt, because no test can be conclusive due the variance in the amount of time illicit substances remain in the blood of the individual. Marijuana variances can show results from days to months. Moreover, due to the wide array of moods and behaviors associated with illicit drugs, it

Drugs reinforce courage and precede celebrations of success when used before and after crimes committed by those prone to violence. The inference that thieves and rapists consume alcohol and stimulants for extra energy and confidence is evident by the continuance of these crimes being committed over and over throughout history. Social media glorifies drug use by pictorials of gangsters and prostitutes sharing alcohol before committing criminal acts as well as celebratory drinks afterward. Alcohol and cocaine are used as stimulants in these cases. The theory that crime causes drug use is supported with studies over a long period of time. The first time a crime is committed, drugs may not be used, but given the fact that most heinous crimes are serial in nature drugs are used to desensitize the act before its committed and if the offender is successful then drugs are taken afterwards as part of the celebration. Either way, crime does indeed cause drug use and more than likely evolves into drug abuse (Levinthal, 2011, pp.

Individuals with low education and a myriad of other socioeconomic disadvantages have a greater chance of abusing drugs and exhibiting criminal behavior. The relationship between drugs and crime in this instance is referred to as interactional circumstance because the relationship is indirect. While studies do show that a vast majority of individuals who professed to using marijuana almost never felt the urge or need to hurt something or someone while under the influence, the same individuals were more likely to be exposed to situations and persons that encourage criminal behavior. The substance abuser in this case may not feel the urge to commit a criminal act while under the influence but the drug user is more likely to have a lengthy criminal record. This relationship may be due in part to the deduction that the types of people who are most likely to commit crime are also the same types of people who are most likely to use drugs (Levinthal, 2011, pp. 90-93). (777 words) Reference

Levinthal, C. F. (2011). Drugs, society and criminal justice (3rd ed.).

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