The Drug War Solution: Opposite of the Current Drug War
By: Janna • Research Paper • 4,088 Words • December 10, 2009 • 1,216 Views
Essay title: The Drug War Solution: Opposite of the Current Drug War
The Drug War Solution: Opposite of the current Drug War
Pharmacologically every drug has its positives and its negatives, it is based upon the individual’s choice to determine what one out weights the other. for example a extreme drug user rather live his life the way he/she wants with the feeing that he/she wants for his/her life, but with that choice there comes consequences: like not living as long of life due to heavy drug use. Drugs can be viewed upon as the drug user’s heaven, the key away from this place (or situation) due to the fact that policies aren’t the way they should be, since having to use drugs illegally anyways. Since some drugs satisfies the drug user as a religion satisfies a religious person’s piece of mind, it is none of my business if what they are doing is wasting their time and life away hoping, as is none of their business what a drug user does for their enlightenment, as long as it does not cause direct harm to others.
Drugs are drugs; the only thing that is keeping some from being legal and illegal is how our country works: $$$$ and Politics, a member of the California State Board of Pharmacy from 1980-1990 said “The FDA is in essence the enforcement arm for drug company extortionists. The drug companies shell out nearly $20 billion dollars a year to prime the pump for useless and dangerous drugs. Drug Companies spend more money on bribing doctors and politicians and on advertising drugs folks don’t need and would be better off without than they do on finding all of the miracle cures that are always just around the corner” (Jay R. Cavanaugh Ph.D., Under The Influence-Reckless Disregard). Science is supposed to be the determiner of what is correct regardless of who gets paid what. Science playing politics is echoed when the FDA released a report or something that stated Marijuana has NO heath benefits.
It is sad that there isn’t only anti-drug advertising, but there is also people bombarded by legal drug advertisement that are supposed to be the answer to their problem or pain, but really a lot of money and manipulation, And getting away with it. The same pharmacy board member says:
“just as the small print warnings on a pack of cigarettes doesn’t absolve the tobacco companies from helping to kill 500,000 Americans a year, neither does the small print about “adverse reactions” absolve the pharmaceutical companies from their advertising fueled carnage. At least the tobacco companies never claimed that their poisonous products would treat illness. Tobacco can’t be advertised in mass media anymore due to the harm but the latest drug products fill the television screens, websites, newspapers, and magazines. Over 50% of patients today come to the doctor with a new prescription in mind from this advertising blitz and most physicians are more than happy to comply” (Jay R. Cavanaugh Ph.D., Under The Influence-Reckless Disregard).
Who are we to trust? We certainly can’t trust media, FDA’s all about politics (due to its recent alagations that marijuana has NO health benefits), drug experts and consultants are getting paid.
There are tremendous harms done to society by the legalization of substances that have both high dependence potential and health risk: tobacco and alcohol. Tobacco is a drug with such an high addictive drug. In my opinion, nicotine doesn’t have the positive effects that are required for me to look beyond the negative effects of the drug. What can’t be said about a lot of other drugs is: “Much is known and documented about the harmful effects of Tobacco”, which are:
• Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of illness and death in the U.S.
• Approximately 440,000 deaths per year in the United States are caused by tobacco use.
• Worldwide, more than 3 million people die every year because of tobacco use.
• Approximately 46.5 million American adults, or 23.3 percent of the population, are current smokers; approximately 44.3 million adults, or 22.2 percent of the population, are former smokers.
• Approximately 28.5 percent of high school students identified themselves as smokers in 2001.
• In the United States, almost one-third of the approximately 750,000 youth who become regular smokers each year will ultimately die as a result of a smoking-related illness.
• Proven to cause deaths from cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases, and stroke. (http://plan2005.cancer.gov/tobacco.html).
Alcohol is proven to have different effects on different people depending on weight, sex, tolerance, and based the user’s ability