The drug problem is nationwide, spanning much further than the inner-city areas, people everywhere are affected by the drug problem.
The groups calling for reforms of drug laws have addressed the issues preventing the current drug policies from working in our favor. The ideas of these groups have focused on the strategies that have been proven in preventing drug use and discarding those that have shown no success. Reducing the harms of abuse by preventing abuse of other substances, such as cigarettes and alcohol; children are exposed to advertisements for these products everyday increasing their potential to experiment with substances. Ideas also include making the penalties issued for drug violations fit the crime. Currently there is and overcrowding of Americas prisons, which many people are already concerned with, the issue of overcrowding revolves around mandatory minimum sentences for minor drug offenses. Current trends have shown that they have not deterred offenders and these cases just drain the legal system of time and money. Some state governments are spending more on prisons than on education.
A major issue surrounding drug use is the idea that punishment will stop the use of drugs. Many others believe that treatment and education to reduce the demand for drugs is the right path to take. It seems that most government officials who have addressed the drug problem want to come off as coming down hard on drug users and not tolerating that kind of person in their city. The punishment of drug abusers only leads to costly court proceedings and prison sentences, without treatment, it seems inevitable that a drug abuser if not using in prison, will return to their habits once they hit the street again. As of now, crime rates are dropping, but the prison population is constantly rising, of all the people incarcerated, more than half are serving time for drug related charges.
