Drug Abuse in the United States Essay

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) updated reports on the prevalence of substance addiction in 2015, illegal drugs use has been increasing in the entire United States. In 2013, approximately 24.6 million United States citizens aged 12 and above used illicit drugs. The increase represented a 9.4% of all the population consuming illegal drugs. In 2002, the total population of illicit drug use in America was approximately 8.3%. The increase in substance abuse has been attributed to the breakdown of social ethics in the society.

What do you think are some of the sociological complications that a drug abuse problem can cause?

The issue of drug abuse and addiction in the United States has become much more relevant in the past few years. Drugs and the drug crisis were for the longest time something which was limited geographically, socially and racially. Which is to say that drugs were only a “problem” in the inner city. In the 1980s, this was symbolized by the so-called crack epidemic which ravaged the poorer and most fragile communities in the country. The issue of drug abuse in the United States is important because of how much it impacts the lives of people in all different ways and this problem seems to be increasing. Society must act to save these people in order to improve their lives and build strong communities for the future.

To understand the devastating effects of cocaine one needs to understand its history and how it became one of the most potent drugs in today’s society. Cocaine is extracted from the coca leaves and is one of the oldest and natural stimulants. Ancient Incas and native Peruvians chewed cocas leaves for religious ceremonies and to counter the effects of living in thin mountain air and air sickness prevention. To this day Peruvian markets sell coca products, from teas, soft drinks, cocktails and candy; its use is accepted and is an integral part of their culture and way of life. So the question one must ask is when did this natural product become a notorious drug that is abused by many?

Drug addiction has always been a major concern in the United States. According to a survey conducted by National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) in 2013, 24.6 million Americans aged 12 or older had used an illegal drug including Marijuana, Prescription Drugs, cocaine, Hallucinogens, Inhalants and Heroin in the past month, that is the almost ten percent of the population. Given that this number is 8.3 percent in 2002, it indicates that illegal drug use in the United States has been increasing rapidly over the past decade. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), in 2010, nearly 40,000 people died of drug overdoses, greater than the total deaths of motor vehicle accidents, homicides and suicides. Drugs cost the nation more

Cocaine is produced from the Coca plants usually found in the mountain climates of Colombia. The first cocaine alkaloid was not achieved until 1855. The cocaine alkaloid was first isolated by a German Chemist Friedrick Gaedcke. Cocaine was first used in the 1880’s as an anesthetic in eye, nose, and throat surgeries because of its capability to provide anesthesia as well as to constrict blood vessels and limit bleeding. Its therapeutic applications are obsolete in this day and age because of the technological advances to produce safer drugs . Cocaine is the most devastating and potent stimulant of the natural realm. In this paper I will be discussing the history of cocaine, the impact in the world, and lastly the

Cocaine is another commonly abused drug in the United States. Cocaine produces its powerful high by acting on the brain. But as cocaine travels through the blood, it affects the whole body. Cocaine harms the brain, heart, blood vessels, and lungs, and can even cause sudden death. Cocaine increases heart rate and blood pressure while constricting the arteries supplying blood to the heart. The result interrupts blood flow to the heart muscle itself, which can cause a heart attack, even in young people without heart disease. Cocaine also can constrict blood vessels in the

One of the most abused psychostimulant drugs in today’s society is cocaine (Hummel and Unterwald, 2002). Cocaine is a purified extract derived from the leaves of the Erthroxylum coca bush found in the Andes region of South America. Cocaine can undergo several different chemical processes producing either crack cocaine, known as “crack” or “rock”, which is smoked, or powered cocaine, known as “coke” or “blow”, which can be snorted or dissolved in water and injected. A longitudinal study of cocaine use amongst 1253 college students at one public university found a significant increase in cocaine use over time from 1st year to 4th year. By their 4th year of college, 36% of students had been offered cocaine at least once, with 13% having used it (Kasperski et al., 2011).

From 2001 to 2014 there has been a 42% increase in the number of deaths caused by prescription drug overdose. Moreover, the national survey conducted on drug use stated that 27 million people who are aged 12 and over have used an illegal drug. Year by year, drug addiction has been growing immensely among citizens and does not seem to stop. The sooner people start to take action, the sooner drug addiction in America will decrease. Whether it be directly or indirectly, the abuse of drugs has affected every family in every community and needs to be stopped.

Introduction: Drug abuse has always been a very delicate question as it always it deals with the health, well-being and even lives of human beings belonging to any country. The position of the United States of America towards drugs has always been very clear and distinctively negative. Throughout the history of the country there were numerous cases against drug dealers, buyers and many more. These cases did always catch the attention of civil people who by showing interest in such cases revealed their worries about the future of their own children that one-day might face this problem, too. As time goes by it get even more clear that people need to feel protection from the side of law-enforcement establishments such as police. Drugs may destroy the life of a person, therefore while fighting with drug dealers and buyers cooperatives no other interest rather than removing this “elements” from the society should be taken into account. The case, which is known as “United States v. Oakland Cannabis Buyers’ Cooperative” did more than just catch the attention of people. Million of people followed the case from its very beginning and did have certain expectations concerning the outcome of the case. The specifics of the case made people have twofold points of view when analyzing the solution that was delivered by Justice Clarence Thomas concerning the case. Nevertheless, to understand the solution it is necessary to examine the case deeper and only then decide whether the Court’s

Drug use in America is epidemic, and more figures are increasing compared to the past. Drug use ranges from hardcore drugs like crack ,cocaine, and heroine to recreational drugs like marijuana. Also, the abuse of prescription drugs like Oxycontin, and fentanyl are common go to choices. The Center of Disease Control states that 24 million Americans from the age of 12 and older use Illicit drugs, thats out of the 324 million total people living in the U.S. That's a significant number of people.

There have been over 15000 deaths annually associated with all stimulants, cocaine having the majority of deaths. In the year of 1998, 300,000 infants were born addicted to cocaine.

Even though it is not possible to know exactly how much of the drugs consumed in the US are imported from Mexico, it is reasonable to deduce from the Customs and Border Protection figures that the percentage of drugs from Mexico consumed in the US is a high percentage. Even though this is a major problem in our country today, drugs imported from Mexico and consumed in America is a problem the the Mexican and American governments have been trying to solve for half a century. Since the 1960s, the Mexican and American government have imposed ever-increasingly stringent laws on the drug. However, this approach certainly hasn’t decreased the use of drugs in America, but why? I believe that the laws and policies put into action by the US and Mexico have been largely ineffective because the institutions that put these laws into effect cannot enforce them, due to lack of funding, corruption in all levels of government and law enforcement, and the lack of knowledge on the drug trade.

Cocaine is an extremely addictive stimulant that creates a sense of euphoria and increased energy in people who use it. A cocaine high tends to be short-lived so it is often used in a binge pattern, meaning it’s used repeatedly and in increasingly larger doses over a short period of time. Cocaine raises the risk of serious heart problems and even of sudden death in people who use it because of its range of cardiovascular effects, which include sharp increases in heart rate and narrowing (constriction) of blood

Some of the side effects of cocaine in the human body can be as simple as just headaches, increase of heart rate, nausea, and decrease of appetite; but, for heavy users the side effects can be more dangerous such as the loss of sense of smell, reduce blood flow, anxiety, severe paranoia, seizures, heart attacks, and strokes (Nova Science, 2012, p. 282). Currently, the only way to treat cocaine addiction is through behavioral therapy along with medications (Nova Science, 2012, p. 283).