Drug Abuse and Society

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how drug abuse in America has a profound impact on the social fabric of the nation, and how it not only has a tremendous financial cost, but a strong societal cost as well. It looks at how drug abuse impacts the nation in the workplace, on the streets (in terms of crime and traffic deaths and injuries), and at home. Drug users suffer from homelessness, health-related consequences of drug use, alienation from and dysfunctional relationships with their families, and have a real risk of dying of their habit. It shows how these consequences point to the real need for society to help stem the tide of drug abuse in America and how societal approaches to drug abuse should include treatment and prevention, as well as a discussion of legalization and decriminalization.

From the Paper:

"One of the most familiar societal costs of drug abuse is crime. Many drug users resort to criminal activity in order to raise money for illegal drugs. Burglary and prostitution are well-linked to drug use. Violent behavior is also associated with the use of drugs, and alcohol in particular (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2001), as drinking heavily is reported to be involved in 60% of violent crimes (Alcoholics Victorious). Of the $97.7 billion attributed to drug abuse in 1992, over half could be traced directly to drug-related crime. This number includes the cost of productivity of crime victims and those incarcerated crime, the loss of production due to "drug-related crime careers"(National Institute on Drug Abuse), property damage, and police, legal and corrections services (National Institute on Drug Abuse)."

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