Illegal Drugs in American Life
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Although drug use has been part of American life since the 19th century, it did not come into great prominence until the 1960s. At that time, the use of LSD, marijuana, and a variety of hard drugs became associated with the young and the disaffected. Throughout the 1970s, the use of illicit drugs continued to increase; among young people it became a form of protest and defiance. By the 1980s, drugs were almost a part of the American mainstream. As they became more widely accepted, so too spread the damage wrought by their effects. The costs both in terms human suffering and economic loss are incalculable. Thus far, the U.S. government has spent billions of dollars trying to combat this scourge. Without question, drugs such as quaaludes, amphetamines, angel dust, and cocaine, should be illegal. With marijuana, however, the issue remains controversial. There are still some who call for legalization of the drug for medical purposes. Anecdotal evidence seems to suggest that it may be useful for treating patients with certain medical disorders. Unfortunately, however, there are few well controlled studies that document either marijuana smoking's risks or benefits. The disruption of American life due to trafficking in illegal drugs has been enormous; it has affected small towns as well as large metropolitan areas. Millions have become chemically dependent. Furthermore, the use of drugs often leads to addiction, which in turn leads to high rate
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purposes. A common and dangerous practice was to combine methaqualone with alcohol. Many people suffered toxic reactions to these drugs. Moreover, regular users who attempted to stop taking methaqualone often suffered severe withdrawal sickness, and some died from convulsions, coma, and respiratory failure.
Another commonly abused drug is amphetamine. The term "amphetamine" refers to a group of chemically related drugs which increase the activity of the brain. During the 1960s, people first began using amphetamine intravenously. Ill effects of the drug include permanent damage to the blood vessels in the brain, heart failure, and amphetamine psychosis.
A particularly dangerous illicit drug, PCP, was abused during the 1970s. Although classified by state law as a hallucinogen, PCP exerts a wide variety of effects. Chronic users have reported difficulty with thinking and memory, as well as emotional problems. In addition, the effects of PCP can also produce bizarre and sometimes tragically violent behavior. Finally, the illicit drug, cocaine, has received much attention in recent years. Cocaine is a white crystalline alkaloid powder derived from the coca plant. It can be ingested intranasally, intravenousl
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Approximate Word count = 2992
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page)
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