ipl-logo

Rethinking The War On Drugs Summary

971 Words4 Pages

The United States has been dealing with what people call “The war on drugs” for over three decades. Over the years, drug experimentation has become very popular amongst young, middle class Americans. At first, Marijuana was a very common drug to use but as time went on hardcore drug experimentation became the new “thing”. Although the government did crackdown on major drug dealers, they paid little to no attention to the issue. It wasn 't until Nixon called on The War On Drugs. The war on drugs has always been a very controversial topic especially amongst politicians, and columnists. In the article “Rethinking the War on Drugs” Mark Kleiman, Jonathan Caulkins and Angela Hawken argue that although legalization of drugs sounds like an ideal …show more content…

Kleiman, Mr.Caulkins and Mrs. Hawken, the legalization of drugs would be an ideal solution to eliminate the black market but would result in an increase in drug abuse; an increase in drug abuse would lead to many negative societal effects. The authors claim that although the legalization may not be the most effective way to address the drug war they believe that decriminalization would be a probable solution under strict circumstances. They expand they idea of decriminalization by proposing several programs including 24/7, the “carding” program and HOPE. All three programs focus on diminishing drug addiction amongst the jail population. First, the program 24/7 helps people who are in jail for alcohol related crimes. Those who are enrolled in the program are released from jail under the impression that they will stay sober; they are breathalyzed every day, if their results show any signs of alcohol they are immediately sent back to jail. HOPE is a very similar program, it is focused on drugs, probationers would have to call in everyday to make sure they are not getting tested for drugs. The authors claim that programs similar to those would result in less drug use, less violence and a lower incarceration

Show More
Related

Elliot Currie's 'Toward A Policy On Drugs'

341 Words | 2 Pages

In his article, “Toward a Policy on Drugs,” Elliot Currie discusses “the magnitude and severity of our drug crisis” (para. 21), and how “no other country has anything resembling the American drug problem” (para. 21). The best way to describe America’s drug problem is that it is a hole continuously digs itself deeper. America’s drug issues were likely comparable to other country’s at one point in time, but today it can be blamed on the “street cultures” (para. 21) that continue to use and spread the use of illegal drugs. These street cultures transcend the common stereotype of drug users, such as low income communities in cities or welfare recipients, and can be found in every economic class and location. They are groups of people who have

Read More

A Rhetorical Analysis Of Drugs By Gore Vidal

499 Words | 2 Pages

Response Four In his article, Drugs, Gore Vidal argues that there is a solution to the drug epidemic in America: simply make all drugs legal and sell them at cost. Gore has a particularly compelling argument, and much of that has to due with the rhetorical strategies and techniques he uses. Gore starts his argument off by saying that marijuana is neither addictive or dangerous, and definitely not as dangerous cocaine and heroin. While this article was written in 1970, many Americans feel this way in 2016— that marijuana is not as dangerous as other drugs. Gore, in a way, is aware of his audience, and accommodates them.

Read More

Pros And Cons Of Drug Treatment Courts

210 Words | 1 Pages

Over the past two decades, drug treatment courts have gained traction as popular alternatives to the conventional war on drugs and to its one-dimensional focus on incarceration. Specifically, the courts are meant to divert addicts from jails and prisons and into coerced treatment. Under the typical model, a drug offender enters a guilty plea and is enrolled in a long-term outpatient treatment program that is supervised closely by the drug court. If the offender completes treatment, his plea is withdrawn and the underlying charges are dismissed. But, if he fails, he receives an alternative termination sentence.

Read More

Drug Court Model

448 Words | 2 Pages

The idea behind these program was to help treat the offenders for their substance abuse disorders while still holding them accountable for the crime that they had committed (Lutze & Wormer, 2013). Many studies have been conducted in order to assess the effectiveness of drug court programs across the country. In a qualitative study done by Gallagher 100 participants of the drug court program were examined. This study found that of the drug court participants, seventy-nine percent were not rearrested in the follow-up period. Twenty-one percent of those participants were rearrested (Gallagher, 2014).

Read More

Counterculture Of The 80's

890 Words | 4 Pages

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

Read More

Effectiveness And Efficiency-Drug Courts Study

1682 Words | 7 Pages

After analyzing 69 adult Drug Courts, every practice found there was higher recidivism reduction compared to another program (NREPP , 2017, p. 4). Through studies on individual participants, SAMHSA found that “drug courts ‘significantly reduced the incidence of incarceration from a base rate of 50% to roughly 42% for jail, 38% for prison, and 32% for overall incarceration’” (NREPP, 2017, p. 6). Drug Courts save people from getting put in jail and this study shows how it works in keeping them out after completion. Low recidivism percentages are another huge plus to the courts.

Read More

Vices: Miron Analysis

416 Words | 2 Pages

emph{The best thing to do is let people and society make their own decisions. } cite{5} end{quote} Miron begins with a discussion on drug prohibition. Miron tackles two popular arguments that suggest prohibition --- drug use is bad, and prohibition reduces drug use cite{5}. Miron categorizes three different perspectives on the

Read More

Mass Incarceration Literature Review

1728 Words | 7 Pages

The Drug Treatment Alternative-to-Prison Program is another attempt to provide better treatment for people who are convicted. The study showed that drug offenders who underwent a treatment program outside of prison had a 26 percent less rate of re-arrest after two years than a control group that was sent to prison (Justice Policy Institute, 2010). Rehabilitative programs like the Second Chance Act and the Drug Treatment Alternative-to-Prison Program has shown to growth and positive

Read More

Essay On Mass Incarceration

644 Words | 3 Pages

Mass incarceration is a large issue in the United States. Largely due to drug-related crimes. Researchers, government officials, and citizens are all attempting to push anti-drug policies to attempt and reduce the level of drug usage in the United States. Many individuals, myself included, believe that alternately there should be more focus on prevention and treatment of criminals rather than harsher punishments imposed. While anti-drug policies and harsher punishments may help deter crimes from happening it does not address the issue of inmates and their actions after incarceration.

Read More

The Pros And Cons Of Sentencing

840 Words | 4 Pages

This model focuses on the individual needs of the offender and in doing so increases their chance of living sober once they reenter society. For example, indeterminate sentencing allows offenders who exhibit good behavior and participate in prison substance abuse programs to be paroled closer to the minimum sentencing term. This means the offender can be released from prison based on conditions set forth by the court. If the offender violates parole by committing another crime or failing to continue substance abuse treatment, they can be returned to prison. Furthermore, offering indeterminate sentencing for offenders who meet the criteria creates prison space thus helping with the ongoing problem of prison overcrowding (Seiter,

Read More

Opium Dens

1510 Words | 7 Pages

This was a movement meant to lead to a large decline in drug consumption, usage, and distribution among Americans. Thus, effectively driving the crime rate down and promoting a more productive, clean society. Evidently, this “war on drugs” has produced no real results, and has resulted in a boom in the incarceration rates of minorities while the problem becomes ostensibly worse. The war on drugs has no notable positive consequences because they are trying to play whack a mole with 20,000 moles and 1 hammer. When put into that perspective it seems almost foolish to try and solve the issue in that manner yet they keep trying.

Read More

Incarceration Essay

986 Words | 4 Pages

This was a campaign initiated in the 1970s to combat drug use and drug-related crime. However, it has led to a significant increase in the number of people who are incarcerated for drug offenses, particularly for non-violent offenses. Many people who are imprisoned for drug offenses are not dangerous criminals, but rather individuals who are struggling with addiction or who have made poor choices in their lives. Incarceration does little to address the root causes of addiction, and often leads to individuals being released with few opportunities to rebuild their lives.

Read More

Essay On Decriminalisation Of Drugs

1629 Words | 7 Pages

Would the decriminalisation and / Legalisation of controlled substances improve or hinder the economic, health and social circumstances of drugs users, their families, communities and society? This essay will briefly outline the current policies on drugs in Ireland and will examine the policies and substance misuse from a European and international perspective; then it will discuss how decriminalisation of drugs and substances can improve or hinder the economic, health and social circumstances of drug users, their families, communities and society in general. Examples of controlled substances in Ireland include cocaine, heroin, methadone, cannabis (full list of controlled substances found in the schedule Misuse of Drugs Act 1977).

Read More

Drug Use And Crime: Deviant Behavior

1455 Words | 6 Pages

Marijuana, for instance, is a drug that is most widely used in the United States (Thio, 2013, pg. 301). Society is starting to look at this drug as a useful tool in medication as well as a helpful tool in recreational use. The overall use of marijuana is seen to many in society as deviant, regardless

Read More

Argumentative Essay On The War On Drugs

865 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

More about Rethinking The War On Drugs Summary

Open Document