... -olds; and 19.7% for twenty-six to thirty four year-olds. Another major national survey tracking illicit drug abuse trends is the Monitoring the Future Study. When this annual National Institute on Drug Abuse sponsored survey began in 1975, 30.7% of high school seniors reported using an illicit drug in the previous month. This figure climbed to 38.9% in 1978 and 1979, but declined to ... 2.7% in 1998. Of the drugs abused within the past 30 days, marijuana had the highest percentage of use at 1.4%. In 1980, 36.7% of military respondents polled admitted to using an illicit drug within the ...

• Word Count: 3320
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography

... respondents arrested in the past year for possession or sale of drugs and driving under the influence had the highest percentage of illicit drug use [during] the past year" and that " illicit drug users were also about 16 times more likely than non [drug] users to report being arrested and booked for larceny or theft" and "..[were] more than 14 times more likely to be ... every additional dollar invested in substance abuse treatment saves taxpayers more than seven dollars in societal costs (CSAT 1997). In the 1980s, many new American drug laws resulted from escalating efforts to "get to...

• Word Count: 2815
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... nature of prescription drugs such as diazepam (Valium) became known, and caffeine came under examination as well. Drug laws have tried to keep up with the changing perceptions and real dangers of substance abuse. By 1970 over 55 federal drug laws and countless state laws specified a variety of disciplinary measures, including life imprisonment and even the death penalty. To clarify the ... situation, the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 abolished, replaced, or updated all previous federal laws concerned with narcotics and all other dangerous drugs. While posses...

• Word Count: 5106
• Approx Pages: 20
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... believed that the superhuman "Negro Cocaine Fiend" could not be killed with the smaller gun. (Main Findings 1992) Dr. Hamilton Wright is sometimes referred to as the "Father of American Drug Laws". Dr. Wright was the Opium Commissioner at the time and had previously become famous because he had "scientifically proved" that beriberi was a communicable disease. Beriberi is a vitamin deficiency. In fact ... U.S., for example, is a highly dangerous mixture of small amounts of heroin with large varying amounts of adulterants. (Brecher, pgs.117-119) The withdrawal of the protection of the foo...

• Word Count: 2031
• Approx Pages: 8

... continued use. Such a natural product had unprecedented potential for profitability. The commodification of drugs, both illicit and licit, follows the principles of capitalism and supply-and-demand. David Courtwright has summarized drug use throughout world history in his book, Forces of Habit. Courtwright described the "big three" ... 15). Especially when tobacco began mass production in the American colonies and tobacco became cheaper, worldwide consumption was reached. Tobacco was the first drug that reached across all social classes, making it highly profitable. It overcame its side ...

• Word Count: 1853
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... the 70's but is still on a rise from the early 90's The current reports on illegal drug use have shown that 9.9 percent of youths age 12-17 reported current use of illicit drugs in 1998. This estimate represents a statistically significant decrease from the estimate of 11.4 percent in 1997 ... times more likely to be in a workplace accident and 5 times more likely to file for workers compensation. Statistics show that 25 percent of drug users are stealing from there employers. In America 10 percent of adults are alcoholics and regularly abuse alcohol while 10 million American adults regu...

• Word Count: 1297
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... year, on the other hand, was 16.1 years, and the mean age of first use of cigarettes was 15.4 years old. The same survey reports, "The rate of past month illicit drug use among youths was higher among those that were currently using cigarettes or alcohol, compared with youths not using cigarettes or alcohol. In 1999, 5.6 percent of youth nonsmokers used ... , or the way the drugs are packaged. Potentially forty million people would have to be imprisoned under these laws, and that is just impossible. Although people may think that the War on Drugs targets drug smugglers and King Pins, of ...

• Word Count: 4993
• Approx Pages: 20
• Has Bibliography

... year, on the other hand, was 16.1 years, and the mean age of first use of cigarettes was 15.4 years old. The same survey reports, "The rate of past month illicit drug use among youths was higher among those that were currently using cigarettes or alcohol, compared with youths not using cigarettes or alcohol. In 1999, 5.6 percent of youth nonsmokers used ... , or the way the drugs are packaged. Potentially forty million people would have to be imprisoned under these laws, and that is just impossible. Although people may think that the War on Drugs targets drug smugglers and King Pins, of ...

• Word Count: 4953
• Approx Pages: 20

... year, on the other hand, was 16.1 years, and the mean age of first use of cigarettes was 15.4 years old. The same survey reports, "The rate of past month illicit drug use among youths was higher among those that were currently using cigarettes or alcohol, compared with youths not using cigarettes or alcohol. In 1999, 5.6 percent of youth nonsmokers used ... , or the way the drugs are packaged. Potentially forty million people would have to be imprisoned under these laws, and that is just impossible.Although people may think that the War on Drugs targets drug smugglers and King Pins, of t...

• Word Count: 4899
• Approx Pages: 20

... and chemical properties, U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Marijuana Traffic Act, outlawing the possession and sale of marijuana. Since then the majority of countries around the world have created similar laws. Its is quite a useful plant, able to be manufactured into food, clothing, and more, however marijuana also has medical properties as well as a mind altering chemical called THC. This chemical ... better from their sickness and some may have a little fun.. Marijuana laws should be reformed to fit the need of the people for which the laws protect. During the 1960's an...

• Word Count: 10574
• Approx Pages: 42

... failure of decriminalization and legalization. The Netherlands provides another great example, as they have chosen not to enforce their anti-drug laws, exhibiting tolerance in hopes that the people will learn for themselves. As in Zurich, the Netherlands has become populated with drug lords and addicts, making it the most crime-prone nation in Europe. Furthermore, Dutch efforts to license legal heroin use ... . Other evidence in the United States can be found in the vast social experimentation during the 1960s and 1970s. This led to a great push for non-enforcement of existing anti-drug ...

• Word Count: 4624
• Approx Pages: 18
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... failure of decriminalization and legalization. The Netherlands provides another great example, as they have chosen not to enforce their anti-drug laws, exhibiting tolerance in hopes that the people will learn for themselves. As in Zurich, the Netherlands has become populated with drug lords and addicts, making it the most crime-prone nation in Europe. Furthermore, Dutch efforts to license legal heroin use ... . Other evidence in the United States can be found in the vast social experimentation during the 1960s and 1970s. This led to a great push for non-enforcement of existing anti-drug ...

• Word Count: 4794
• Approx Pages: 19
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Marijuana Abuse By Teens An effective solution for marijuana abuse by teens must be found! "Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in America today (Nation 5)." "Marijuana refers to the leaves and flowering tops of the cannabis plant. Marijuana is usually ... tested. Thirty five percent were found to have detectable levels of marijuana in their blood. The regular use of marijuana with or with out other illicit drugs is correlated with higher levels of fighting, delinquency, arrests and written above health problems. There are also physiological effects of this substance. These ... ...

• Word Count: 1314
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... intended to be devices of prohibition, however, the US government rarely out right intends for any thing to be seen for what it truly is. The Acts were ostensibly licensing laws, which required sellers to obtain a license in order to handle cocaine and opiates. However, a license must be granted, and they never were. The penalties for not having a license were severe ... horror stories of all kinds targeting specific minority groups and their danger to the white people while on these substances in order to mold public opinion in favor of these laws. These prohibitionist policies coincid...

• Word Count: 3129
• Approx Pages: 13
• Grade Level: High School

... at age 21. u More than 67% of young people who start drinking before the age of 15 will try an illicit drug. Children who drink are 7.5 times more likely to use any illicit drug, more than 22 times more likely to use marijuana, and 50 times more likely to use cocaine than children who never ... one problem into this intervention plan because one problem usually leads to another. A great program that was used while I was in middle school was DARE (drug abuse resistance education). There section of this program my DARE teacher called ARE (alcohol resistance education). This is a great pro...

• Word Count: 2174
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

... system have undergone tremendous changes, but still there are many factors, which seem to influence the traumatic increase in population. One important factor can be the imposition of harsher laws such as the "three-strikes and your out law." Also, judges have become less lenient for women offenders as well as juveniles. This only adds to the large population ... committed their current offense to obtain money for drugs. Another aspect of drug-related crime, which generates violent crime, is drug trafficking. Trafficking in illicit drugs tend to be associated with the commission of viole...

• Word Count: 4763
• Approx Pages: 19
• Has Bibliography

... and political agendas. Despite the enormous amount of money we have spent to rid our country of illegal drugs, we still have four million Americans addicted today. Stricter drug laws have caused there to be an overflow of prisoners convicted of drug charges and have transformed these people into tax burdens instead of taxpayers. Through the investigation of the ... try and uncover the effectiveness of the war. Beginning in 1970, Congress passes the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control act. In addition to consolidating previous anti-drug laws, the act provides federal funding ...

• Word Count: 2297
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School