Reefer Madness

Drugs in America

By: Donovan Myers

“The basic thing nobody asks is why people take drugs of any sort? Why, do we have these accessories to normal living to live? I mean is there something wrong with society that’s making us so pressurized, that we cannot live without guarding ourselves against it?” – John Lennon (1940-1980) Every 14 minutes a life is lost or altered forever as a result of some drug related occurrence; on a national level anxiety and prescription drugs account for more deaths than heroin, cocaine, and traffic related deaths combined. Substance abuse as well as the speed at which drugs cross into U.S. territory has become a severe issue relevant to everyone; implementing more structure and notifying everyone is the initial way we begin to tackle this caliber of an issue. In an attempt to improve safety and rebuild one severe issue in society our government distributes, produces, and controls narcotic alternatives, also known as synthetic drugs: synthetic drugs may mean well, but are they really intended for what the government officials depict and if so are using drugs to fight drugs the alternative we need?

When considering the current and previous state of society in regard to substances and substance abuse several things have to be taken into consideration: non-modifiable and modifiable issues can dictate everyone’s susceptibility, especially when the abuse stems from actual healthcare initially. The overall issues are access, mass production, variety of existing and new methods to abuse drugs, and the lasting negative impact it has on individuals and their families. Some forms of narcotics have to undergo several processes and chemical changes making them harder to come by and less influential while others are natural and can be created within a matter of minutes using little (minimal) tools. Drugs are in abundance and seem to be crossing US soil at an alarming rate; not only do we face size issues but with the technological advances new...