The Drug Problem

The Drug Problem

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Shadman Ahmed

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The Drug Problem

Drug poses a serious risk to our health and the environment that we are surrounded. The drug problem affects all kinds of people irrespective of the age or gender of the individual. The drug problem is caused by drug abuse leading to addiction in an individual. Addiction is a condition that one is used to drugs to a level that it affects an individual’s brain. It can also cause some diseases such as diabetes, asthma or the heart disease. The conditions show that drugs are a problem to the society as far as it affects the individual abusing drugs. The drugs, in this case, include the depressants such as alcohol and heroin, stimulants such as the tobacco and cocaine, hallucinogens such as marijuana and drugs such as steroids. I had an interest in this topic because, it is common in the society especially among the college students here in America. People need to be educated about the drug problem to create awareness on its harmful effects and consequences to ways of life of an individual (Turnbull, et al., 2012).

The major sociological theory concerning drug problem is the utilitarian theory. The major sociological theory does not consider an action chosen by an individual as good or bad, instead it mainly focuses on the final consequence of the action chosen. The final consequence should always bring happiness to an individual or as a group. It shows that one can move from his/her interests and consider the interest of others in making decisions so as to make the many others happy (Sheng, 2012). The utilitarianism is an account of the origin of the drug problem. It shows how an individual will start experiencing drug problem such as addiction. For example, a student in the college interacts with other friends who are drug addicts; the student will be influenced by his friends and start using the drug. The student will have forced himself beyond his interest and consider the interest of his friend; therefore, the student will experience drug problem from the scenario. The theory fits the drug problem because an individual may be using drugs to receive happiness. For instance, in a situation that a person experiences pain and he has no any other option, he will start using drugs that will suppress the pain even though the drugs are not allowed by the state laws. The individual has gone beyond a limit that he breaks the laws and considers using the drug for his happiness. The government should intervene by subjecting drug users to harsh policies such as imprisonment for several years and also implement some programs that will counter drug problem in the society.

The drug problem is a sociological issue because it has led to a high rate of mortality in the United States of America and all over the world (Okie, 2010). Many people have been murdered as a result of the drug of war. For instance, more than 50,000 US citizens were being slaughtered as a result of the drug of war in late 2006. Furthermore, drug abuse kills more than 200,000 people per year. This is per the reports by the UN. The loss of life affects both the young and the adult population irrespective of the gender of an individual. The death of people using drugs is as a result of health problems in our bodies such as diabetes, mental problems, and heart diseases. It has increased the death of several people prematurely. Due to loss of lives, there is an impact to the social environment. It includes the family, workplace and the community. Therefore, drugs are a serious issue in the society that affects the social life of people since it has resulted in a high number of deaths in the society.

The drug problem is common in the society because of the existence of drug-related crimes. Drugs such as marijuana cultivation and possession of cocaine and heroin are not allowed in the country. These drugs relate to crime because when an individual is found with the drugs, he/she will be subjected to drug-defined offenses.  The drug is also related to crime in the case of drug-related offenses. It is encountered when an individual engages in violent behavior in the society that results from drug effects. Furthermore, one is considered criminal as a result of using drugs. It is referred to the drug-using lifestyle. The individual’s way of life has moved to the extent that he/she cannot stay without drugs. All these features show that drug is related to crime. This is evident in the society concerning the drug problem. Drugs are considered illegal and can cause an individual to be jailed for years behind the closed walls. Therefore, it is a problem to the society because of loss of important people because of imprisonment as a result of a drug problem (Bean, 2014).

The drug problem is common in the society because the US government uses a lot of finance to budget on the war against drugs. In the year 2005, the US government spending to counter the drug problem reached $468 billion. This is a huge spending by the government. The budgeting on drug problem supports the argument that drugs are a problem to the society. The money went to prevention, treatment, and research on the drug problem. It indicates that many people are being subjected to the prevention and treatment because the spending is huge. It described that drug is a problem to the society. The huge amount money budgeted for the control of drug problem should have been used to develop infrastructure and development of health facilities in America. I support my argument on drugs as the huge spending on treatment of drugs is a waste of resources by the United States of America government. Therefore, drugs are a problem to the society because it receives huge government spending to eradicate the problem.