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 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 antidrug 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."
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."
Abstract This paper analyzes the history of anti-drug legislation in the U.S., beginning with the Civil War. The author opens with a discussion of the shifts in official and grassroots attitudes toward drug use -- from the Great Awakening period with its Anti-Salon League to the 1970s, when even the Surgeon General appeared 'soft' on cocaine. Then the author examines how education, healthcare and politics have all played a role in drug policy and public opinion on the issue.
From the Paper "The "Great Awakening" also swept the United States during this period. This movement was a fundamentalist Christian movement that preached drugs and alcohol keep people away from God. This movement was largely confined to rural states and territories led to the creation of the "Anti-Salon League" and the Women's Christian Temperance Movement. Indeed, the push for the abolition of alcohol and drugs was a parallel movement with giving women the right to vote. The Suffrage Movement was started by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. These women thought that most violence against women and children was directly linked to alcohol. Racism also had a hand in the advancement of the Temperance movement. The suspicion and prejudice against the growing immigrant population of the United States fueled fears that the use of Alcoholic beverages by ethnic groups, like Irish-Catholics, Italians, and Germans, was a threat to American society. All of these forces, Suffrage, a population that was addicted to pain medication, and prejudice found a common cause, that was, to remove alcohol and drugs from the United States. Dr. McCauley describes how the "Pure Food and Drug Act," the first anti-drug and alcohol legislation, was pushed through Congress."
Abstract This paper argues that the current war on drugs has been an extremely costly failure for the U.S. According to the author, current anti-drug policy -- which includes the use and sale of controlled substances -- is simply impossible to enforce. The author looks at the cost of the war on drugs, both in terms of lives and dollars that could be saved from switching priorities. Then the paper debates medical statistics, citing that (currently) illegal drugs result in many fewer deaths each year than legal ones, such as alcohol and tobacco. Finally, the paper deconstructs the commonly held belief that marijuana is a gateway drug. The paper concludes with the author's recommendation that drug use be decriminalized.
From the Paper "The United States has been engaged in a "war on drugs" since the mid-1970s. The reported 59 percent decrease in illegal drug use has been achieved at a cost of an increase of 12,000 percent in the enforcement budget between 1973 and 1993. Attorney General Janet Reno has quoted federal officials as saying that in order for the interdiction of drugs entering the country to be effective, a total of 75 percent would have to be achieved. Since the amount officials claim has been interdicted is only 25 percent, even law enforcement policy makers admit that a successful interdiction program would be cost prohibitive."
Tags: war, on, drugs, law, education, treatement, marijuana, economy, police, enforcement, agency
Abstract This paper explains that the real drug problem in the United States is not the widespread use of marijuana, but rather the epidemic use of hard drugs, which is bolstered and propagated by a tyrannical and ignorant approach to drug control, the War on Drugs. The author points out that the origin of the War on Drugs legislation was the voice of concerned parents and that conservative politicians from both major political parties and conservative anti-drug activists agree a vigorously fought War on Drugs is a necessary, symbolic measure. The paper stresses that laws do little to deter teenagers from experimenting with drugs.
From the Paper "The War on Drugs did not end with the Reagan administration or even the first Bush administration. President Clinton continued the campaign and made it clear that the crusade was far from over, in spite of all the evidence that the war was a lost cause. The War on Drugs has produced a thriving black market economy. That which is hardest to procure naturally begets a higher price; therefore, heavy-handed drug laws embolden gangs and mafias and place copious amounts of money in the pockets of truly violent people."
Abstract This grant proposal discusses the benefits of creating a program to prevent drug abuse among youths and and proposes an exact allocation of the grant money. The proposal also shows a timeline on how and when the author's department plans on spending the grant money and includes a detailed summary of all the costs involved in this kind of a program. The paper concludes that the overall benefits of this program will result in a noticeable reduction in drug abuse among the teenage population by disrupting the illicit drug trafficking organizations within the community, denying street dealers a customer base, reducing the number of emergency room admissions related to drug abuse and overdose, and establishing a strong anti-drug abuse program within all the schools within the community.
Outline:
Why and Where
How and When
Table: Cost Summary
From the Paper "Our department is committed to establishing, creating, and encouraging anti-drug programs such as D.A.R.E. in our communities at public and private schools, to home-school teachers and students, and to the general public. Our outreach program will start in the communities' schools; since a larger impact is imprinted in elementary, junior high, and high schools. We are committed to reaching out to children, teens, and the general public through flyers, pamphlets, meetings, seminars, and D.A.R.E. hotlines. Lastly, we are dedicated to inform children and teens of the dangers of drugs, gangs, and violence (encourage community policing); in addition to encouraging teachers, parents, and students to attend the 21st Annual D.A.R.E. International Training Conference in San Antonio, Texas on August 12-14, 2008 at The Alamo. The training conference teaches officials, schools, teachers, parents, and students on how to be leaders of the war on drugs in order to save the people."
Abstract This paper examines a number of crime cases and how they could have been avoided if drugs were legalized. The author compares the legalization of drugs with prohibition and the anti-phosphate laws. The paper details the harm that illegalizing drugs cause our society as well as the advantages of the medicinal uses of marijuana.
From the Paper "Many people know that most crime in America is directly related to drugs. What most people fail to understand is that there would be no need for most of these crimes if drugs were legal. Why do people have to steal to support their drug habit? Because drugs are expensive. The average cocaine dealer has to spend around ten thousand dollars a week to support his habit. But the pharmaceutical cost of drugs is only about 2% of its? street value.[i]"
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."
Abstract This paper discusses the use and misuse of antidepressants prescribed for children. The paper begins by examining the role of the physician and the family in treating childhood depression. Next the paper asks what ethical concerns must be considered when proscribing anti-depressants to children. The paper also looks at what complications can arise and offers recommendations for future use.
Tags: Antidepressant, Physician, Drugs, Medical, Ethical, ADHD, Medications, Children
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..."
Abstract This essay argues that Ernest Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises" is anti-Semitic in terms of its treatment of the character Robert Cohn. Cohn is painted in a negative light and none of the characters like him. Cohn is the anti-hero, yet he has Jewishness intentionally imposed upon him. In this respect, "The Sun Also Rises" involves anti-Semitism.
The paper discusses the drug problems of the people of the Caribbean and the drug trafficking that goes on there. It also deals with the dangers that drug trafficking causes to other countries and their people.
3,650 words (approx. 14.6 pages), 5 sources, 2001, $ 101.95
Abstract This paper is about the drug trafficking problems of the Caribbean. The author examines the Caribbean region as a long standing area where illegal substances have been grown and sold. The people are poverty stricken and sell drugs as a means to make money. The author looks into the Caribbean's climate and location which make it an ideal place to grow and sell drugs. The people are able to transport drugs to other countries through the use of planes, boats, etc. The paper goes on to discuss how this poses as a threat to all countries because it makes drugs available which leads to drug problems for their citizens.
From the paper:
"The Caribbean is known for its agriculturally equipped weather conditions, which makes for most islands to be very fertile. Many farmers in the Caribbean grow drugs as part of their produce to earn more money. They can then sell the illegal substances to islanders, tourists, and then ship the rest off to be sold to other countries? citizens. This poses as a threat to the health of all people who are able to buy drugs as a result of drug trafficking in the Caribbean. It also poses a threat to governments because they have to use their funding on programs to educate citizens about the dangers of drugs as well as rehabilitate those citizens that are addicted to drugs and suffer from drug abuse."
Abstract The following assignment is for a third year sociology course. The topic discussed is collective social behaviour. The collective social behavior examined in this assignment is anti-war demonstrations. The writer uses social contagion theory and emergent norm theory in order to examine the nature of anti-war demonstrations.
From the Paper "Collective behavior is a very broad area of study. For example, in Collective Behavior Erich Goode states, 'Rumors and legends, fads, and collective protest- these and other social phenomena make up the subject matter of the field of collective Behavior'. Collective behavior is the relatively spontaneous, unstructured, extra institutional behavior of a fairly large number of individuals. The fact that collective behavior is such a diverse area of study means that many activities can be used to examine it. For this paper, demonstrations against the war in Iraq or anti-war demonstrations as they are commonly called will be used to examine many of the theories about collective behavior."
Abstract This paper summarizes the debate between the Federalists and Anti-federalists of the constitutional congress. It suggests some ongoing problems in American public life which demonstrate the main issues which drove that debate, far from being resolved during the constitution's ratification, continue to resonate in current events. This paper discusses the Ratification Debate and the major issues which drove the debate between the Federalists and the Anti-federalists: Distribution of power, protection of rights, limitations of institutions and the ongoing Relevance.
From the Paper "In the last few days of September in 1787, the Confederation Congress met to debate and construct a new Constitution of the United States. The document they wrote and sent for ratification to the thirteen states that made up the newly-formed country was intended to replace the Articles of Confederation that had ordered the nation since its inception. The nation was reaching a crisis point, as the experiment had been going poorly. Surprisingly, perhaps, the problem was not one of the many possible economic problems that new nations are likely to experience when reconstructing after a long and difficult war. As Gordon Wood (1969) argues, the general economy was running well and people felt comfortable and even prosperous (p. 395). Rather, the concerns that brought the nation's leading politicians together were primarily political. "
