Drug Free Society - 833 Words

Drug Free Society Introduction The topic of a drug free society and whether such can ever exist causes many reactions. Some may even ask why this is an important conversation? To begin this discussion it is worthwhile to look historically at why it has become such an issue in the United States. In 1971, President Nixon called for a War on Drugs recruiting the assistance of the Federal Government and in particular the Drug Enforcement Agency [DEA] (Vulliamy, 2011). As part of this measure, Nixon requested financial assistance approximating an initial $84 million for these emergency measures in an era of significant concern about drugs (2011). According to the President, drug abuse was ‘public enemy number one’ (2011). The War on Drugs†¦show more content†¦According to Schanlaub (2003), people may be more inclined to abuse prescription medications at they may see little harm in ingesting a product created in a laboratory following government regulations and in full compliance of the law, in co mparison to an illegal product created in a converted mobile home by criminals. However, despite the potential for abuse, a simple outlawing of drugs that may be abused could do more harm than good, particularly for patients who medially need these products. There are legitimate uses for prescriptions that are abused ranging from pain control for post-operative or hospice patients, or control of mental health symptoms among those are suffering from mental illness. For some of these individuals, the use of these medications allows them to continue to lead productive lives. Even in the realm of substance abuse treatment, there are changing views as more substance abusers are presenting with co-existing mental illnesses (Perfas Spross, 2007). Conclusion In conclusion, the author of this brief paper believes that a drug free society in purest terms will never exist. Further, there are many good uses of drugs that reduce harm rather than cause harm. Some even argue whether we should focus on free drugs rather than drug free. The challenge remains as to how to focus the conversation on meaningful policy reform recognizing that for many the issue is addictionShow MoreRelatedGovernmental Efforts to Achieve a Drug Free Society1498 Words   |  6 Pageseffort to achieve a drug-free society, a dream that, perhaps by the virtue of existing measures, seems unrealizable. Its efforts include enforcements and bringing drug-offenders to justice which entails incarceration, capital punishment, and what a few. 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