Drugs in America

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Drugs in America
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Why does the Government care?

• Health of citizens a concern
• Heath care costs
• Healthy people essential for strong country
• Productivity
• Motivation to achieve and work hard
• Ability to do job well
• Unemployment
• Drug-related crimes
• Impact on the family unit
• Trickles down into everything else
• International impact

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Health of Citizens
Number of drug related emergency room visits in
2000.
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A purpose of government is to protect its
citizens
Faces of Meth
Even when its from themselves
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Chemicals in meth (example of dangers)
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International impact
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• Drugs fuel civil war in Columbia and other South
  American countries
• Terrorists in Afghanistan profit from opium
• Drug cartels in Mexico spill over into US
• BBC News World Drugs Trade

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Drugs and Crime Decision making
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Addiction Need for money
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Why do drugs cause crime

• Physical addiction causes people to go to great
  lengths for more drugs
• Burglary (violent or not)
• Revenge violence
• Profit from drug trade results in gangs that
  fight for control
• Being under the influence reduces ability to
  think rationally
• Courts often grant less punishment for those
  under the influence

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Costs to society

• In 2000, Americans spent
• 11 billion on marijuana
• 36 billion on cocaine
• 10 billion on heroin
• 5.4 billion on methamphetamines
• 2.4 billion on other illegal substances
• Total cost of illegal drugs to society
• 160 billion

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Drug Use Today
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The War on Drugs

• Could argue that actually started in 1880 when
  U.S. and China agreed to stop opium shipments
• Alcohol prohibition from 1920-33
• Term actually coined in 1971 by Richard Nixon
• Main goal of program is to disrupt production and
  shipment to raise prices
• Hope that high price results in discontinued use

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Drug Timeline

• 1914 Harrison Narcotic Act restricts access to
  opiates
• 1937 Marijuana Tax Act requires 1 tax on
  distribution of marijuana
• 1951 Boggs Act results in stricter penalties
  for marijuana use. Gateway drug theory founded.
• 1973 Drug Enforcement Agency founded. Some
  federal drug laws created.

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War on Drugs Budget US Govt.
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Additional costs

• Incarceration of drug law offenders 30 billion
• Court costs 15 billion
• Police protection 9.1 billion

Stats according to National Drug Control Strategy
Budget Summary 2000
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Other issues

• Drug Laws by state
• Medicinal use of drugs
• Does war on drugs actually make situation worse?
• Crack conspiracy theory
• Hemp?