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Drug Supposition

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The second supposition, the war on drugs being considered a failure, is a supposition that I agree with. I chose this supposition because I have always agreed that high penalties for drug charges is unfair and a social justice issue. However, I had never done much research regarding the issue. By choosing this supposition, I gave myself a chance to research the War on Drugs and the effects that it has had on individuals who suffer from substance dependence. Furthermore, my interest has always been working with children. Just as many of the Edgewater homeless have been affected by criminal histories that include drug charges, so have many of my clients. I have had many clients whose ability to get a job and provide a stable and fulfilling …show more content…

22). There are several examples of the effects of the War on Drugs on the Edgewater homeless in Righteous Dopefiend. For example, in the novel, Little Vic was not prosecuted for his violent assault on a man. Instead of prosecution, he was sanctioned with a parole violation and received a relatively short sentence. Little Vic’s lack of prosecution was due to an effect of the War on Drugs: overcrowded courts. According to James Inciardi (1993), the War on Drugs had several detrimental consequences including overpopulated jails and liberal release policies. Furthermore, the War on Drugs also exacerbated the spread of AIDS among the incarcerated population. The spread of AIDS was due to the over populated prisons and the increased presence of intravenous drug users in the jail system (Inciardi, …show more content…

The author’s in depth analysis of individuals who suffer from substance abuse as well as other factors that influence their daily lives enabled me to think deeper into my personal opinions about clients I interact with who also suffer from some of the same challenges as the Edgewater homeless. By reading the novel, Righteous Dopefiend, I will be better informed about the challenges and barriers individuals who suffer from substance abuse face. Through Philippe Bourgois and Jeff Schonberg’s research and opinions regarding the issues of substance abuse, mental health, physical health, and homelessness I have become a better clinician equipped to assist individuals that I come into contact with in

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Bourgois and Schonberg use the terms ‘moral economy’ and ‘gray zone’ within their text, Righteous Dopefiend, to help explain gain a better understanding about their research participants. The terms are both useful in their applications, with moral economy translating into helpful public health implications and gray zone providing context for the homelessness and chronic drug use experienced at Edgewater boulevard (Bourgois & Schonberg 2009, p. 298). Bourgois and Schonberg apply the term, the moral economy of sharing, to the Edgewater community in an effort to uncover what binds the community together, the limited alleviation of suffering and how solidarity is achieved through the sharing of resources. This term is further unpacked and references

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The social structural force of healthcare forces the Edgewater homeless avoid the hospital as much as they can, until they are at the sure point of suffering life threatening injuries. This is because if they were to check into the hospital and their injuries were not life threatening, they were forced to wait in the waiting room almost a full day without guarantee they will be treated. Consequently, after a full day of waiting they are always rejected and forced back on to the streets. Thus, they will return to the streets dopesick without

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The 3 main points for chapter 2 was the whole deal with the War on Drugs, the Stop- and – Frisk situation with the police officers, and many poor and innocent people went to jail for no good reason. So, to break down the situation on The War on Drugs, was originally towards the Big Drug Kingpins and to keep our country free of illegal drugs, and violent crimes. Secretly the criminal justice system was more interested in the regular people that are not associated with the big drug dealers. People with no violent history and are not really on hard drugs, but maybe marijuana, that is who the police were more interested in. Another main point in chapter 2 was the Stop- and- Frisk rule that basically gave the police officer the right to stop anyone

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Many critics believe that because of the way drugs are looked down upon society, they become ever more enticing to buy them even through illegal and dangerous means. For instance, President Richard Nixon said in 1971 that “America’s public enemy number one in the United States [was] drug abuse,” and because of this, “it [was] necessary to wage a new, all-out offensive” (Sharp, 1994). Another drugfree advocate, William Bennett, who served in office as the Secretary of Education under President Ronald Reagan, blamed the drug problem squarely on the loose and unethical morals of corrupt people. Another reason that Nixon’s War of Drugs was ineffective was in that the federal government could only prosecute national crimes, handing over the responsibility to the local law enforcement to keep the streets safe, meaning it would have to cross state lines to be under federal judication. Operation Intercept’s main contribution to the drug trade has been the restructuring of how drugs were exported.

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For example, the social inequality in America and extreme level of poverty we have makes them turn to shelters like “The Refuge” mentioned in the book. An instance to think about is the obstacle homeless people face when they apply for jobs. No matter how much they actually want to work and get better, it becomes very difficult for them to get employed with no address or phone number to get contacted. This is usually a requisite that employers are looking for and when the homeless do not have any, their applications are usually not even considered. Dr. Liebow talks about how even when the person has the qualifications for the job the constant denial becomes a repeated cycle that homeless endure not allowing them a chance to get their life going.

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Some of these suppositions focus on the use of methadone as a treatment, the concept of lumpen abuse, and the concept of homelessness. Many of these suppositions sparked my interest; however, two of the assertions caught my attention the most. The first supposition that was interesting to me was the use of methadone as a viable treatment for opiate addiction. The second supposition that caught my attention was the War on Drugs being a hopeless

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The use of narcotics like cocaine, claimed many lives and earned widespread coverage by media and news. Following this Nancy Reagan began the “War on Drugs”, a campaign to combat pre-existing drug usage and prevent future

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Society believes that just because these individuals are poor, they lack ethics, or have trouble understanding what is morally right and wrong. Stealing is sometimes necessary for these individuals to survive, but it does not mean all homeless people steal. “They are drug addicts,” is another example of a stereotype. “Homelessness is caused by a lack of resources and a safety net like family and friends,” said Leanne Drieberg, CEO of Inland Temporary Homes. "If drug addiction caused homelessness, then wouldn’t we see more rock stars homeless?”

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Essentially, the war on drugs has demonstrated to be an exorbitant expense. The federal government in 2002 alone spent $18.822 billion in the form of expenditures such as treatment, prevention, and domestic law enforcement (CSDP, 2007, p. 54). However, given that the drug war has garnered meager results, this investment may be interpreted as a waste of taxpayer dollars. Alternatively, the money that has been allocated to arrest and detain drug offenders may also be a source of contention. CSDP (2007) “Of the 1,846,351 arrests for drug law violations in 2005, 81.7% (1,508,469) were for possession of a controlled substance.

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Some people may think that homelessness is a trouble because they assume that the individual is lazy and just wants life to be handed to them. Further assumptions are made about drugs causing individuals to become homeless. While that sometimes happens, many times it is the other way around. Individuals who have become homeless feel helpless and give into the release from their reality that drugs can give them (Thompson, 2011). People that do not consider factors outside of the individual are overlooking the breakdown within many institutions including school and the family that could lead an individual to become homeless.

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Homelessness in America has become a big issue and if we don’t do something about it soon it can get worst. Homelessness can cause health issues, personal problems, and even death. Homelessness covers a range of topic such as substance abuse, mental illness, and domestic violence (Dworsky, 2009). In a study it said that the homeless population has one of the highest rates of adults in the jail inmates (Greenberg & Rosenheck 2008). In this paper I will be discussing the Cause and effect of homelessness as it relates to the Criminal Justice system.

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It is indiscriminate and has no concern for one’s status, race, ethnicity, background, religion, and so on. Therefore the fear of homelessness is the fact that it can happen at any time.. As a result of the United States economic situation, there is a lack of jobs and livable wages provided for growing communities. The insufficient provision of financial aid is among the factors that cause homelessness. Unable to be financially independent, the homeless tend to meet their financial needs through illegal avenues. These avenues involve the interaction with drugs and

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Some may not be too familiar with the war on drugs and the effects it has had on the society we live in. The war on drugs was started by the Nixon administration in the early seventies. Nixon deemed drug abuse “public enemy number one”. This was the commencement of the war on drugs, this war has lasted to this day and has been a failure. On average 26 million people use opioids.

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