THE WAR ON DRUGS



Summary: Social Consequences of the War on Drugs: The Legacy of Failed Policy

Summary: Social Consequences of the War on Drugs: The Legacy of Failed Policy

Introduction

The War on Drugs is an initiative led by the government of the United States focused on the pursuit of production, trade and consumption of psychoactive substances, which are attributed towards prohibition of drugs. This war had its both pros and cons as it provided myriad benefits and some drawbacks too. It played an exemplary role in combating against the use, production, supply and sell of such drugs.

Its proponents argue that drugs cause serious harm to physical and mental health and create networks of crime and corruption. The critics say that is used to defend geopolitical interests, interference in the internal affairs of certain nations, breaking into the private lives of citizens, and the problems related to drug trafficking and consumption forms most part of the prohibition. The term was coined in 1972 by Richard Nixon, presumably based on "War on Poverty” in 1964 (Jensen et al. 2004).

Discussion

A drug is a substance that alters the normal functioning of the organism once it comes into contact with him. Some examples of drugs include alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, inhalants, steroids, marijuana or cocaine. Different drugs have different effects on the body. Some drugs can cause hallucinations (for instance, seeing or hearing things that are not actually happening) others can accelerate or reduce the activity of the organism (Jensen et al. 2004).

Equivalent terms are now in many countries of the drug prohibition used. The effect of such measures is controversial because the target definition is unclear and successes are difficult to prove. Critics argue that the use of the term measures against the use of certain drugs as a belligerent act and is justified (Barchas et al. 1999).

Disenfranchisement

The most important consideration in the subject of drugs and crime is if disfranchisement. It does not allow many minority voters to participate in the election because it is a result of experiences with the criminal justice system. It not only affects people who cannot participate, but also the elections within the United States.

According to the Drug Policy Alliance, US is considered as the only nation where citizens are not allowed to vote after their sentence has been served. Presently, around 5.4 million of citizens in the US are not allowed to participate in the felony conviction, which includes all those individuals who are banned because they are on parole for a felony conviction, and those who are banned because they reside at a place where felon disenfranchisement laws ban felons for the duration of their lives.

Marijuana

Marijuana is the mostly used illegal drug across the globe. One of the studies conducted in the year 2006 by the National Survey on Drug use and Health concluded that around 98 million Americans have used marijuana in their lives, 25 million had used it in the past few years, and more than 15 million of the citizens ...