Drugs and Society

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Drugs and Society

• By Greg Malone

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Thesis
Drug use permeates all levels of our society,
from the poor to those with the resources to
disguise their problem or surreptitiously seek
treatment. Whether its alcohol or nicotine or
prescription or over-the-counter medications, or
illicit drugs, the effects of addiction on the
individual are great the cumulative effects on
society are staggering. - Barry
Stimmel (Stimmel vii)

• Although both illegal and legal recreational
  drugs have beneficial and detrimental effects on
  society, their negative effects grossly outweigh
  their positive ones, making the war on drugs a
  valuable undertaking.

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Types of Drugs

• Depressants Slow a persons heart rate causing
  them to become calm and inactive
• Alcohol
• Valium
• Narcotics Produce feelings of euphoria and
  calmness
• Heroin
• Percocet
• Hallucinogens Induce visual hallucinations as
  well as intensified perception and insight
• LSD
• PCP
• Stimulants Speed up a persons heart rate and
  cause them to become hyperactive
• Speed
• Cocaine
• Cannabinols Produce feelings of calmness and
  fatigue
• Marijuana
• Hashish
• Many more

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First Effect on Society

• All illegal drugs that are being smuggled into
  the United States cause the need for drug
  trafficking.
• The United States has dubbed their drug
  trafficking endeavor the War On Drugs, a very
  expensive undertaking which aims at eliminating
  the paths which illegal drugs are smuggled into
  the United States, as well as cracking down on
  those citizens and non-citizens who habitually
  use illegal drugs.
• Drug trafficking is very expensive and billions
  of dollars a year in taxes go towards moderating
  as best as possible the drugs coming into the
  United States alone.

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Cannabinols

• All Cannabinols come from the Marijuana plant
• The active ingredient in Cannabinols is THC
• Cannabinols can be smoked or eaten
• While high on Cannabinols, a person may
  experience extreme hunger, also known as, The
  Munchies, euphoria, mellow feelings, and their
  perception of the passage of time will have
  slowed
• Agitation and confusion may occur as well as
  hallucinations, which are very rare though

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Cannabinols

• Although many people only recognize the
  beneficial and fun effects of Marijuana, it is
  important to be educated about the negative
  effects, which include
• Slowing of decision making and reaction time, and
  impaired ability to think clearly, mild feelings
  of paranoia, muscle spasms, cotton mouth, and
  bloodshot eyes.
• The long-term negative effects include
• Lung cancer if smoked and a lower sperm count in
  men.

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Cannabinols

• Although they are illegal drugs, cannabinols do
  have some medicinal properties
• Marijuana has been found to take pressure off of
  the eye and thus relieves some symptoms of
  Glaucoma.
• Marijuana has been used to stop the nausea and
  vomiting that cancer patients undergoing
  chemotherapy may experience.

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Effects on Society

• The interference with judgment and driving
  ability along with potential medical problems are
  among the major dangers of these drugs. Marc
  Schuckit (Schuckit 41)

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Effects on Society

• There is the argument that because alcohol is
  legal, Cannabinols should be legal as well. This
  is a valid argument, except that the fluctuations
  in the economy and drug trade would be massive if
  Cannabinols were to be legalized are not taken
  into account. If Cannabinols were legalized,
  drug dealers would no longer be able to rely on
  mainly marijuana to make a profit, thus they
  would have to lower the prices and find ways to
  increase the import of other illegal, more
  dangerous drugs such as Heroin and Cocaine into
  the United States.

A lot of Heroin is bad
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Alcohol

• Alcohol dulls perception and slows reaction time.
  
• Alcohol can eventually cause a loss of balance
  when consumed in excessive amounts, can cause
  death.

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Consequences of Drinking

• Hangover Mainly caused by dehydration and
  excess toxins in the body.
• Liver disease
• Alcohol Liver Disease ? Hepatitis ? Cirrhosis
  (Liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue) ? Death
• Alcoholic dementia
• Physical changes in the brain as well as an
  intellectual decline.
• Accounts for nearly 20 of all people admitted to
  State Mental Health facilities.
• Korsakoffs psychosis
• Permanent problems with short term memory

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Benefits of Drinking

• Researchers speculate that a light-to-moderate
  intake of alcohol increases the concentration of
  high density lipoprotein in the blood, the good
  lipoprotein that protects against cholesterol
  build-up in the arteries. Sandra Alters
  (Alters 19)
• Research has shown that people who consume a
  moderate amount of alcohol, roughly one to two
  drinks per day, have a lowered risk of
  cardiovascular disease.

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Effects on Society

• Alcohol significantly helps the economy, yet it
  can cause deaths and destroy families.
• Alcohol can ruin the lives of people who do not
  drink it responsibly and who abuse their ability
  to drink.
• When a person is intoxicated, he/she is much more
  prone to doing things which they would have
  abstained from in normal circumstances, casing
  risk to be a factor when consuming alcohol.
• There has been extensive documentation of the
  relationship between alcohol and aggression in
  humans. When someone is inebriated, they
  experience an increase in courage while at the
  same time experiencing a decrease in fear.
• Alcohol-related aggression in this society
  exacts an enormous toll. Over 50 percent of
  highway fatalities are associated with alcohol
  abuse or alcoholismThere is increasing evidence
  that alcohol intoxication is associated with a
  great increase in risk-taking and overt
  aggression while driving. The ordinarily
  courteous and conservative driver may become
  quarrelsome and drive aggressively after
  drinking. Jack Mendelson (Mendelson 186)

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Effects on Society

• Many people use alcohol as a cure for depression.
  
• Alcohol produces feelings of well-being when
  consumed and also causes the drinker to develop
  an apathetic attitude towards life. Once the user
  recovers from intoxication though, the feelings
  of depression may recur, and studies have shown
  that depression may develop as a result of
  alcohol problems.
• Underage Drinking
• Of high school seniors, 57 percent were current
  drinkers. Approximately 5 percent of them were
  drinking daily, and 32 percent had five or more
  drinks in a row at least once in the previous two
  weeks. - Barry Stimmel (Stimmel 62)
• Binge Drinking in college
• There have been many recorded deaths due to
  alcohol in situations where a young man pledging
  a fraternity or attempting to make himself look
  cool drinks too much alcohol and dies later on
  that night.

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Heroin

• Heroin is a very powerful and addictive
  pain-killing drug
• It is one of the most widely used opiate
• Pure heroin is a bitter, white powder, but when
  bought in the United States is usually a
  brownish-green color due to impurities and
  additives in the manufacturing process.
• Heroin can be injected directly into the
  bloodstream, snorted, or smoked.

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Effects of Heroin

• The effects of heroin are felt shortly after it
  is consumed. The first sensation is that of
  euphoria, followed by feelings of heaviness and
  of being distanced from the surrounding events.
  After the initial effects have worn off, the user
  feels drowsy yet does not fall asleep though it
  may appear as if they are.

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Dangers

• The risk of overdose is always present since,
  when bought on the streets, the purity of the
  sample is impossible to determine.
• The use and sharing of needles is another hazard
  involved with injecting heroin, having the
  possibility of contracting diseases.
• Chronic heroin abuse mayy result in scarred or
  collapsed veins, bacterial infections of the
  blood vessels, and liver and/or kidney disease.

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Effects on Society

• Addiction may pose threats to a persons friends,
  family, and lifestyle.
• The main reason that heroin is illegal is because
  of the crimes that are committed to obtain heroin
  by the thousands of people who are addicted
  because of the physical and physiological effects
  the drug has on the user.
• Heroin use has long been associated with crime
  because its importation and distribution are
  illegal and because many addicted people turn to
  theft and prostitution to obtain money to buy the
  drug. In addition, violent competition between
  drug dealers has resulted in many murders and the
  deaths of innocent bystanders. (Heroin and
  Crime)

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Conclusion

• Drug use permeates every inch of our society,
  from the poor to the very rich. The long-term
  effects that drugs have on each of these groups
  may be different, but the effects are negative.
  From diseases to a ruined lifestyle, drug use
  never comes with a purely problem free outcome.
• The effects that illegal drugs currently have on
  society make sanctioning drugs a frightful idea.
  The people who push for decriminalization of
  drugs are only focused on the short-term effects
  and feelings produced by these drugs. To stop
  and consider the consequences of legalizing
  recreational drugs would surely enlighten those
  pushing for decriminalization of the fact that it
  is not possible and a horrible idea in itself.

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• It drives me nuts to listen to people argue that
  America should legalize more substances so that
  we can further numb our minds to the real world.
  Grow up. Obviously there is something wrong with
  the people in this country when we are debating
  what substances we should be able to legally get
  trashed with. Matt Warner (Warner)