Abstract
This paper explains that the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, which created a differentiation of sentencing for powder versus crack cocaine offenses, has had a very negative impact on African-American offenders. The paper points out that the current problem is the perceived 'right' of the judge presiding over crack offense case sentencing to depart from mandatory minimum sentencing for these offenses. The paper also points out that this policy is shockingly perverse under the governing Constitution and its Bill of Rights. The paper then concludes with four policy recommendations to correct this situation.

Table of Contents:
Historical Background of the Policy
Current Problem
Description of Policy
Policy Analysis
Policy Recommendations
Policy Recommendation One
Policy Recommendation Two
Policy Recommendation Three
Policy Recommendation Four

From the Paper
"These are often the same lawmakers who are handsomely rewarded by public sector groups such as correctional officers' unions and other law enforcement groups, who also profit from criminalization and mass imprisonment. Less directly, the privatization of prisons contributes to and buoys the overall "culture" of law enforcement and criminal justice, one that levels our common sense understanding of the causes of our social problems and puts as their solution responses of violence, force and containment."

Tags:ownership, drug quantity disparity, judge, decision-making model, sentencing commission

Abstract
The paper looks at drug use in America before 1870 and explains how the Chinese immigrants brought over the practice of smoking opium to America. The paper discusses the banning of opium smoking in 1875, and uses this as an example to demonstrate how anti-drug legislation from the late 19th to early 20th centuries in America have been racially targeted towards minorities, both in origin and in intent.

Outline:
Introduction
Pre-1870 Drug Use in America
The Chinese Immigrants
Opium and the "Coolies"
The Opium Ordinance of 1875
The First American 'War on Drugs'
Racially Motivated Anti-Drug Legislation
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Before 1800, opium was readily available to the American public, where users numbered 250,000 in a population base of seventy-six million. Peddled as having "calming and soporific effects", it was frequently used in a wide variety of prescriptions, especially those concerning menstruation and menopause.
"Yet by the 1870s, California policymakers were reviewing the "moral" components of the "vice". It seemed that even though opium use was widespread throughout America regardless of race, politicians were targeting opium dens in Chinatown as "contaminants" to the otherwise Caucasian population. By 1975, San Francisco had banned opium use, with the California legislature following suit in 1881, although the latter law focused solely on opium dens."

Tags:opium, smoking, minorities, Chinese, immigrants

Abstract
For many years the United States has waged a "War On Drugs". Within this endeavor the nation has passed and implemented some extremely tough laws regarding drugs, on a local, state and national level. The belief is that stricter laws will reduce the number of drug offenses and drug use in the United States. This paper proposes a study for the purpose of answering the question:"What, if any, impact are tough anti drug laws having on its actual manufacture, sale and use of them?"

Table of Contents:
Abstract
Introduction
Literature Review
Methodology
Results
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The time has come to determine if the tough anti-drug laws and sentences are actually acting as a successful deterrent in the manufacture, distribution, sale and use of illegal drugs. Few people will deny the negative impact that certain street drugs have on those who use them. On any night one can turn on the television and see a news show about drugs and their use as far as the negative impact goes. The crime and violence that often go hand in hand with drug use is common knowledge. Where the disagreement comes into play is the decision or belief that the current stricter anti drug laws are the answer to the problem. Some experts believe they are while others hold to the belief that Holland has the right idea and an acceptance and out in the open attitude is the way to curb the serious problems arising from the use of drugs."

Tags:Justice, Department, crack, Three, Strikes, marijuana, OxyContin

Abstract
This paper analyzes the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign put out by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. It describes the goal and basis of the campaign, as well as its target audiences. The paper looks at the strategic resources of the campaign and its theoretical basis. The paper then discusses the campaign from a technical point of view and discusses its results.

From the Paper
"While the message was conveyed under the form of news in the papers, it sometimes took the form of an advertorial in magazines. In this way, the target was reached from multiple directions and with an increased frequency. Since framing directs the creation of meaning, the use of various framing techniques underlines the complexity of the campaign.
"Understanding the target audiences influenced the conception of the campaign's content. The texts (the signs) that were written and then transmitted through various media were adapted in their form (use of images, metaphors, tone of voice, etc.) so that they had the capacity to draw the attention of the audience."

Tags:target audience, advertisement, substance abuse

From the Paper
"U.S. Anti-Drug Policies in South America
Introduction
This research examines United States anti-drug policies, as those policies are applied to the countries of South America. Background information on the issue is provided in this introduc-tion. Following the introductory material, the actors with a stake in the issue are discussed, the effects of government anti-drug policies are reviewed, and a suggested solution to the issue is presented.


Americans who regularly consume illicit drugs number in the
millions (Flynn, 1993, p. 36). American demand for illicit drugs is the primary source of the international illicit drug problem. In spite of all the resources committed to the so-called drug war, the production of illicit drugs continues to increase, and the supply of..."

Tags:DRUGS: GENERAL, LATIN AMERICA

Abstract
It explains the author's personal experience with D.A.R.E., how D.A.R.E. helps teach students the dangers of drugs, helps students to deal with peer pressures, and why it is necessary to teach students at such a young age. Also deals with refutations to arguments, such as it costs too much, and it teaches the students where to get drugs.

From the Paper
"It was an early Thursday morning, but for some reason, all the students in my class looked wide awake. Usually students were dragging themselves through the history lessons and cursive practice in the early mornings, but Thursdays were different. The students were all excited. They were anticipating the arrival of Officer Potnick. Officer Potnick was a huge, burly man with a deep laugh. He came in wearing his police uniform which made every student jump to attention. Also, he had a great sense of humor which helped keep the students on their toes. He taught us very important lessons about the danger of drugs."

Tags:abuse, addiction, children, criminal, elementary, issues, justice, social, students

Abstract
This paper relates that the right to privacy, over US history, has repeatedly been involved in cases about personal liberty. Next, the author traces the history of the United States government's "war on drugs", which has resulted in workplace drug testing becoming commonplace; however, the author believes that the war on drugs is really a means of social control. The paper concludes that, although the anti-drug programs may have begun for the sake of human health, it has evolved into a focus on lost profits and time lost, which, in either case, is an attempt to insinuate society and government into the place of the individual.

From the Paper
"Medicine was seen as a way to give greater comfort to individual human beings, a fact that in itself, testifies to the idea that the use of drugs was considered a matter of personal choice. Government, and even physicians, did not actively interfere in these personal decisions. Ultimately, the effectiveness of a drug was left up to the judgment of the individual user. That drugs were not separated according to beneficial or harmful, shows further the prevailing belief that such drugs were used to ease pain and increase comfort, both physical and mental, the benefit of a given drug not being linked to some notion of potential physical or social harm."

Tags:homogenization, legal precedent, federal policy punitive method

Abstract
In 1999, Columbia negotiated a three-year stabilization agreement named "Plan Columbia" with the International Monetary Fund, which established certain policy targets that it had to achieve in order to borrow money. The paper examines that although this money was given to resolve the civil conflict, curb drug trafficking, modernize legal and military institutions and strengthen the economy, in fact most of the money goes to the military in order to fight the FARC rebels who control vast areas of the coca fields. The paper examines the reasons behind the United States' eagerness to aid the Columbian government, despite the fact that most of the money is obviously not being used for "anti-drug" programs.

From the Paper
"However, statistics show that Colombian police and military are not fighting a drug war but rather a civil war against leftwing rebels that are rapidly gaining strength. However, the U.S. is completely aware that the money is not going to drugs and actually has an interest in the civil war because Colombia is strategically located, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. In addition, it has plentiful oil and mineral reserves that multinational corporations have been exploiting for years, often under the armed guard of the Colombian military. Therefore, the U.S. is supplying aid in the name of drugs but the money is used to keep control of the territory of Colombia."

Tags:International, Monetary, Fund, IMF, FARC, Latin, America, Caribbean

From the Paper
"The DARE Program and Community Policing
Introduction
The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Program is described as "a validated, copyrighted comprehensive drug and violence prevention education program" for children in kindergarten through 12th grade (NIJ 1). DARE is a collaborative effort between school and law enforcement personnel, which is nationally coordinated by DARE America with input from state and local agencies and communities (NIJ 1). To date, DARE has been the largest and most widely implemented drug and violence prevention program in the world and was recognized as a key element of community-based policing efforts (NIJ 2).
The DARE curriculum is intended to prepare elementary, middle, and high school students to resist substance abuse, violence, and .."

Abstract
The paper explores the causes behind the growing problem of prescription drug abuse by teens. The paper then discusses the rise in teenage self-prescribers who may not realize the harmful interaction that drugs can have when used together. The paper looks at the four categories of the most commonly abused prescription medications and explains the motives of teens in choosing to take these drugs. In conclusion, the writer of this paper suggests the obvious solution of education and awareness, but contends that as a society, we have to stop being so dependent upon pharmaceuticals. The writer further argues that we should eliminate direct-to-consumer drug advertising, we must educate teens about ways to relieve stress, and we must reduce the pressures on teens.

From the Paper
"Years ago, the common image of an adolescent drug abuser was a teen trying to escape from reality on illegal substances like cocaine, heroin, or marijuana. Today, there is a great discrepancy between that perception and the reality of who is likely to abuse drugs. A teenage drug abuser might not have to look any further than his or her parent's medicine chest to 'score.' Prescription drug abuse by teens is on the rise. Also, teens are looking to prescription drugs to fulfill different needs other than to feel good or escape the pressures of adulthood. Teens may be just as likely to resort to drugs with 'speedy' side effects, like Ritalin to help them study longer, as they are to use prescription painkillers to check out of reality. Pressures on teens are growing, to succeed in sports or to get high grades to get into a good college (Pressures on today's teens, 2008, theantidrug)."

Tags:medication, pain, relievers, stimulants, sedatives, tranquilizers, anti-depressants