Drug Abuse

The increasing phenomenon of drug abuse in U.S. society impacts American society in deleterious ways that economically cost society approximately $100 billion annually (Swan, 1998, 1) The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) maintains that rising drug abuse costs to society have been strong and steady since 1975. Five costs estimates have been made with respect to the impact of drug abuse on society, and the current estimate is 50% higher than the previous estimate calculated in 1985 (Swan, 1998).

Drug abuse is such a prevalent and widespread phenomenon in American society that health agencies, the justice system, law enforcement, and social welfare agencies have adopted different approaches to combat it. The courts and law enforcement have imposed harsher sentences and stricter punishments for drug use, jamming U.S. prisons to their limits. As Swan (1998) explains, "Increases in the number of people incarcerated were a major factor in rising drug-related costs, reflecting increases in drug-related arrests and changes in sentencing practiced for drug crimes" (3). The medical and social welfare communities, along with some courts, have favored greater efforts aimed at prevention, treatment and rehabilitation for drug abusers. As NIDA reports, "drug abuse can be treated and drug abuse treatment reduces the cost to society" (Swan, 1998, 2). This analysis will explore the costs of drug abuse to U.S. society, including diff

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eated controversy and changes in ideology with respect over how best to combat the pressing social ill. From increased law enforcement efforts to more support for treatment and rehabilitation, lawmakers, law enforcement officials, health care officials and welfare agency officials have adopted a variety of strategies to help reduce the staggering cost of drug abuse on U.S. society. Recently drug czar John Walters has lobbied Congress to change the White House's anti-drug media campaign. Based on findings that the current campaign has not significantly altered teen patterns of drug behavior, Walters has been lobbying Congress to change the ideology underlying the campaign from prevention to one of rehabilitation. The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) maintains that it is "crucial to begin to address those youth who are still using drugs on a regular basis" (Melillo, 2003, 9). The ONDCP currently budgets more than $180 million dollars for its media campaign, but Congress is beginning to lose faith in its viability since reports are showing the campaigns have done little to change drug use patterns among youth. State governments also face enormous costs due to drug abuse. In Pennsylvania, legislators recently prop

Category: Psychology - D