AMERICA'S WAR ON DRUGS

America's War on Drugs



America's war on drugs

Introduction

The War on Drugs is an initiative led by the government of the United States focused on the pursuit of production, trade and consumption of psychoactive substances, which are attributed towards prohibition of drugs (Inciardi, 2008). This war had its both pros and cons as it provided myriad benefits and some drawbacks too. It played an exemplary role in combating against the use, production, supply and sell of such drugs. Its proponents argue that drugs cause serious harm to physical and mental health and create networks of crime and corruption. The critics say that is used to defend geopolitical interests, interference in the internal affairs of certain nations, breaking into the private lives of citizens, and the problems related to drug trafficking and consumption forms most part of the prohibition. The term was coined in 1972 by Richard Nixon, presumably based on "War on Poverty” in 1964 by Lyndon B. Johnson.

A drug is a substance that alters the normal functioning of the organism once it comes into contact with him. Some examples of drugs include alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, inhalants, steroids, marijuana or cocaine. Different drugs have different effects on the body. Some drugs can cause hallucinations (e.g. seeing or hearing things that are not actually happening), others can accelerate or reduce the activity of the organism.

Equivalent terms are now in many countries of the drug prohibition used. The effect of such measures is controversial because the target definition is unclear and successes are difficult to prove. Critics argue that the use of the term measures against the use of certain drugs as a belligerent act and is justified (Baum, 1997).

Approaches

The "War on Drugs" comprises a variety of methods, which aims at restricting the use of illegal drugs:

Specialized sections of the police

Information campaigns to inform the public about the perceived or real threats of the use of illegal drugs and the consequence of it.

Economic pressure on governments of the countries where illegal drugs are produced, with Working towards combating the production or processing

Combating money laundering.

In United States, primarily in 1973, Anti-Drug Authority founded DEA and made it responsible for combating illegal drugs. Since 1988, the actions of the various participating organizations, ministries and authorities by the newly founded Office of National Drug Control Policy "coordinate and monitor such activities (Fisher, 2006). The United States also participates in multinational operations against drug trafficking, such as to what extent education campaigns and health programs are producing results.

Positive Changes

The chart provided below categorically depicts the drastic decrease in marijuana consumption after the war on drugs. It has also restricted the use of drug sale.

Societal Cost

The societal-cost measure includes the cost of crime due to cocaine use and the cost of lost productivity due to cocaine use. The cost of crime includes criminal-justice system costs as well as property and victim costs. The cost of lost productivity includes health-care system costs, as well' as individual and collective costs of reduced user ...