Preview

Substance Abuse in America

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1188 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Substance Abuse in America
Substance abuse in America
Introduction
America has a problem with drugs. In order to understand the problem, we first need to understand what is considered a drug. It is “any ingestible substance that has a noticeable effect on the mind or body”. (Schmalleger, 2011) Drugs are used for medicinal as well as recreational purposes. Unfortunately both types of drugs have played a role in American culture. Drugs have been part of the American culture as far back as the 1800’s. Using drugs for medicinal purposes existed before the 1800’s but it was during the years 1850 to 1914 when America suffered from what was considered the first epidemic of drug use.

Opium and Cocaine During the 1800’s one of the medicinal uses of opiates was targeted toward women for the treatment of “female troubles”. Another interesting aspect of the culture was that alcohol consumption was thought to be unpopular for women but more acceptable for men. The use of opium would not be frowned upon like drinking alcohol would be. These reasons may be contributing factors to the higher incidents of women using opiates. Cocaine gained popularity in America the late 1800’s as it was used for medicinal purposes in throat lozenges and tonics. “In 1886 John Pemberton of Atlanta, Georgia began to market "Coca-Cola," syrup derived from coca leaves and African kola nuts. The same year Dr. William Alexander Hammond, the Surgeon-General of the U.S. Army endorsed the medical use of cocaine at a meeting of the New York Neurological Society. Throughout the early 1900’s unregulated medicinal "tonics" were sold containing ingredients including cocaine and opium. By 1902 there were an estimated 200,000 cocaine addicts in the United States, and by 1907, U.S. coca leaf imports were three times their 1900 levels.” (The Buyers - A Social History of America 's Most Popular Drugs | Drug Wars | FRONTLINE | PBS, n.d.)

Harrison Narcotics Tax Act In 1914, the Congress of the United States passed



Cited: DRCNet Online Library of Drug Policy. Retrieved February 29, 2012, from http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/library/studies/cu/cu8.html Harrison Narcotics Tax Act, 1914 - Full Text. (n.d.). DRCNet Online Library of Drug Policy. Retrieved February 29, 2012, from http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/history/e1910/harrisonact.htm Illegal Drugs in America: A Modern History. (n.d.). DEA Museum & Visitors Center. Retrieved February 28, 2012, from http://www.deamuseum.org/museum_idaafde.html Powell, Michael A., "A Comprehensive Analysis of the Drug-Crime Relationship" (2011). Research Papers. Paper 100. Retrieved February 29, 2012, from http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/gs_rp/100 Schmalleger, F. (2011). 16. Drugs and Crime. Criminal justice today: an introductory text for the twenty-first century (11th ed., p. 572). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall. The Buyers - A Social History Of America 's Most Popular Drugs | Drug Wars | FRONTLINE | PBS. (n.d.). PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved February 29, 2012, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/buyers/socialhistory.html The History of Illegal Drugs in America | Informative Treatment Articles. (n.d.). The History of Illegal Drugs in America. Retrieved February 27, 2012, from http://www.casapalmera.com/articles/the-history-of-illegal-drugs-in-america

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Legalization of Marijuana

    • 2091 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Gray, James P, (2001) Why our drug laws have failed and what we can do about it: A…

    • 2091 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Schaffer, C.A. (n.d.) Basic Facts About the War on Drugs. Retrieved on April 22, 2006 from:…

    • 1178 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Walters, J. P. (n.d.). Drug Policy Information Clearing House. Retrieved September 21, 2008, from ONDCP: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/factsht/crime/index.html…

    • 3198 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Though the commodity chain concept helps our understanding of how these phases are connected and work together to operate the drug business, Mares recognizes that some basic questions about the process go un-answered. With the commodity chain system, we can’t really answer questions such as why people consume the drugs they do, why some people decide to get involved in the production of potentially…

    • 1191 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The phrase “sex, drugs, and rock and roll” held true to its well-earned spot in 1970’s and 1980’s society. With a new, looser culture, explicit music, raunchy and rambunctious movies as well as a societal focus on many things immoral, it was an era of challenging social norms. As the use of recreational and psychoactive drugs, as well as alcohol, increased, a new problem arose; how does law enforcement and the government undo the damage being made by this new society? Laws were passed, bureaus and commissions were formed, and the President of the United States began what he called “The War on Drugs”. Over the years, some of these solutions have proven to make some impact. The initiation, tactics, and attempts at dealing a major blow to drug abuse have all affected the way America sees drugs today. A new type of warfare had made its way into the country, and after all these years, it has made its fair share of positive and negative effects.…

    • 1554 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Drug abuse is a serious problem which has affected many individuals in American society for decades. When we take a look into American history, it is apparent the magnificent availabilities of science and technology available today have not always been around. With the lack of scientific knowledge and the once non-existence of drug abuse, it is fair to say our discoveries of drugs were once ingested in some form out of pure curiosity of the human mind. (Levinthal, C. F. 2010)…

    • 1415 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Dusek, Dorothy E., Daniel A. Girdano. Drugs: A Factual Account. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1993. Print.…

    • 2136 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Horwitz, B. (2010). The Role of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD): Confronting the Problem of Illegal Drugs in the Americas. Vol.52 (Issue 2), p139-165. Retrieve from Kaplan University’s library at: http://ehis.ebscohost.com.lib.kaplan.edu/eds/detail?sid=d045ea7c-e3f3-4aff826223f78598d9e9%40sessionmgr11&vid=13&hid=101&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=bth&AN=50826105.…

    • 1045 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    1. At about what periods in history did cocaine reach its first and second peaks of popularity, and when was amphetamine’s popularity at its highest? Cocaine -late 19th century and early 20th amphetamine- 1960s (Hart & Ksir, p. 125)…

    • 1695 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    References: rmstrong, Todd A. and Chester L. Britt. 2004. "The Effect of Offender CharacteristicsOn Offense Specialization And Escalation." Justice Quarterly 21 (4): 843-876Howell, James C. and Debra K. Gleason. 1999. "Youth Gang Drug Trafficking." JuvenileJustice Bulletin. Retrieved November 15, 2007 (http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/178282.pdf)Katz, Charles M., Vincent J. Webb and Scott H. Decker. 2005 "Using The Arrestee DrugAbuse Monitoring (ADAM) Program To Further Understand The RelationshipBetween Drug Use And Gang Membership." Justice Quarterly 22 (1): 58-88Orcutt, James D. 1983. "Analyzing Deviance". Pp 153-163. Retrieved November18, 2007 (http://deviance.socprobs.net/Unit_3/Theory/DA.htm)Sutherland, Edwin. 2007. In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved November 15, 2007,from Encyclopedia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9343984Vishner,C. 1991. "A Comparison of Urinalysis Technologies For Drug Testing InCriminal Justice." Washington DC : National Institute Of Justice, cited in CharlesM. Katz, Vincent J. Webb and Scott H. Decker. 2005. "Using The Arrestee DrugAbuse Monitoring (ADAM) Program To Further Understand The RelationshipBetween Drug Use and Gang Membership." Justice Quarterly 22 (1) 58-88…

    • 1995 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Essentially, the war on drugs has demonstrated to be an exorbitant expense. The federal government in 2002 alone spent $18.822 billion in the form of expenditures such as treatment, prevention, and domestic law enforcement (CSDP, 2007, p. 54). However, given that the drug war has garnered meager results, this investment may be interpreted as a waste of taxpayer dollars. Alternatively, the money that has been allocated to arrest and detain drug offenders may also be a source of contention. CSDP (2007) “Of the 1,846,351 arrests for drug law violations in 2005, 81.7% (1,508,469) were for possession of a controlled substance. Only 18.3% (337,882) were for the sale or manufacture of a drug” (p. 23). Therefore, the individuals who are likely to enter the already overcrowded prisons may be users and the actual not distributors themselves. Thus, prison space that is intended to be reserved for murders and sexual predators is instead being occupied by substance…

    • 924 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Sometimes using illicit drugs is considered culturally appropriate, for example, American soldiers used morphine freely during the Civil War as a surgical anesthetic and to ease the pain of wounded soldiers. After the war was over, countless wounded soldiers were sent home with the drug. John Pemberton composed a drink or tonic he named Coca Cola. When Coca Cola was introduced to society it contained cocaine and caffeine. The introduction of the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906, which required that a list of ingredients be visible on packaging, led to the removal of many substances, for instance cocaine from products.…

    • 922 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Bibliography: Bewley-Taylor, Taylor, Chris Hallam, and Rob Allen, The Beckley Foundation Drug Policy Programme, "The Incarceration of Drug Offenders: an Overview," Accessed May 3, 2012, http://www.beckleyfoundation.org/pdf/BF_Report_16.pdf.…

    • 4036 Words
    • 17 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hemp Through the Years

    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Whitebread, Charles. "History of the Non-Medical Use of Drugs in the United States." DRCNet Online Library of Drug Policy. 1995. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. .…

    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The war on drugs has been an ongoing fight that many presidents and foreign allegiances have tried to stop the trafficking, distribution and use of illegal drugs into the United States and around the world. Policy and laws have been created and maintained and changed to try and prevent illegal drugs being made in other countries as well as the United States and from being brought across the borders into the United States. The punishment for the drug traffickers and users has been an issue with the campaign to stop illegal drug use and trafficking. Through the United States history the president’s and their administration have been focusing on how to deal with the war on drugs by making laws, arresting people for their illegal activities and most recently giving drug addicts professional help.…

    • 1776 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays