Transcript Drugs and Society By Greg Malone Thesis • Although both illegal and legal recreational drugs have beneficial and detrimental effects on society, their negative effects grossly outweigh.

Drugs and Society
By Greg Malone
Thesis
•
Although both illegal and legal
recreational drugs have beneficial
and detrimental effects on society,
their negative effects grossly
outweigh their positive ones,
making the war on drugs a
valuable undertaking.
“Drug use permeates all levels of our
society, from the poor to those with the
resources to disguise their problem or
surreptitiously seek treatment. Whether
it’s alcohol or nicotine or prescription or
over-the-counter medications, or illicit
drugs, the effects of addiction on the
individual are great; the cumulative
effects on society are staggering.” - Barry
Stimmel
(Stimmel vii)
Types of Drugs
•
Depressants – Slow a person’s heart rate causing them to become calm and inactive
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Narcotics – Produce feelings of euphoria and calmness
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Speed
Cocaine
Cannabinols – Produce feelings of calmness and fatigue
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•
LSD
PCP
Stimulants – Speed up a person’s heart rate and cause them to become hyperactive
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•
Heroin
Percocet
Hallucinogens – Induce visual hallucinations as well as intensified perception and
insight
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•
Alcohol
Valium
Marijuana
Hashish
Many more…
First Effect on Society
• All illegal drugs that are being smuggled into the United
States cause the need for drug trafficking.
• The United States has dubbed their drug trafficking
endeavor the “War On Drugs,” a very expensive
undertaking which aims at eliminating the paths which
illegal drugs are smuggled into the United States, as well
as cracking down on those citizens and non-citizens who
habitually use illegal drugs.
• Drug trafficking is very expensive and billions of dollars a
year in taxes go towards moderating as best as possible
the drugs coming into the United States alone.
Cannabinols
•All Cannabinols come from the
Marijuana plant
•The active ingredient in Cannabinols
is THC
•Cannabinols can be smoked or
eaten
•While high on Cannabinols, a
person may experience extreme
hunger, also known as, “The
Munchies,” euphoria, mellow
feelings, and their perception of the
passage of time will have slowed
•Agitation and confusion may occur
as well as hallucinations, which are
very rare though
Cannabinols
• Although many people only recognize the
beneficial and “fun” effects of Marijuana, it is
important to be educated about the negative
effects, which include:
– Slowing of decision making and reaction time, and
impaired ability to think clearly, mild feelings of
paranoia, muscle spasms, cotton mouth, and
bloodshot eyes.
• The long-term negative effects include:
– Lung cancer if smoked and a lower sperm count in
men.
Cannabinols
• Although they are illegal drugs,
cannabinols do have some medicinal
properties:
– Marijuana has been found to take pressure off
of the eye and thus relieves some symptoms
of Glaucoma.
– Marijuana has been used to stop the nausea
and vomiting that cancer patients undergoing
chemotherapy may experience.
Effects on Society
• “The interference with
judgment and driving
ability along with
potential medical
problems are among
the major dangers of
these drugs.” Marc
Schuckit (Schuckit
41)
Effects on Society
•
There is the argument that
because alcohol is legal,
Cannabinols should be legal as
well. This is a valid argument,
except that the fluctuations in the
economy and drug trade would be
massive if Cannabinols were to be
legalized are not taken into
account. If Cannabinols were
legalized, drug dealers would no
longer be able to rely on mainly
marijuana to make a profit, thus
they would have to lower the
prices and find ways to increase
the import of other illegal, more
dangerous drugs such as Heroin
and Cocaine into the United
States.
A lot of Heroin is bad
Alcohol
• Alcohol dulls
perception and slows
reaction time.
• Alcohol can
eventually cause a
loss of balance when
consumed in
excessive amounts,
can cause death.
Consequences of Drinking
• Hangover – Mainly caused by dehydration and excess
toxins in the body.
• Liver disease
• Alcohol Liver Disease  Hepatitis  Cirrhosis (Liver
tissue is replaced by scar tissue)  Death
• Alcoholic dementia
– Physical changes in the brain as well as an intellectual decline.
– Accounts for nearly 20% of all people admitted to State Mental
Health facilities.
• Korsakoff’s psychosis
– Permanent problems with short term memory
Benefits of Drinking
• “Researchers speculate that a
light-to-moderate intake of
alcohol increases the
concentration of high density
lipoprotein in the blood, the
‘good’ lipoprotein that protects
against cholesterol build-up in
the arteries.” Sandra Alters
(Alters 19)
• Research has shown that
people who consume a
moderate amount of alcohol,
roughly one to two drinks per
day, have a lowered risk of
cardiovascular disease.
Effects on Society
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Alcohol significantly helps the economy, yet it can cause deaths and destroy
families.
Alcohol can ruin the lives of people who do not drink it responsibly and who
abuse their ability to drink.
When a person is intoxicated, he/she is much more prone to doing things
which they would have abstained from in normal circumstances, casing risk
to be a factor when consuming alcohol.
There has been extensive documentation of the relationship between
alcohol and aggression in humans. When someone is inebriated, they
experience an increase in courage while at the same time experiencing a
decrease in fear.
– “Alcohol-related aggression in this society exacts an enormous toll. Over50
percent of highway fatalities are associated with alcohol abuse or
alcoholism…There is increasing evidence that alcohol intoxication is associated
with a great increase in risk-taking and overt aggression while driving. The
ordinarily courteous and conservative driver may become quarrelsome and drive
aggressively after drinking.” Jack Mendelson
(Mendelson 186)
Effects on Society
• Many people use alcohol as a cure for depression.
• Alcohol produces feelings of well-being when consumed and also
causes the drinker to develop an apathetic attitude towards life.
Once the user recovers from intoxication though, the feelings of
depression may recur, and studies have shown that depression may
develop as a result of alcohol problems.
• Underage Drinking
– “Of high school seniors, 57 percent were current drinkers.
Approximately 5 percent of them were drinking daily, and 32 percent
had five or more drinks in a row at least once in the previous two
weeks.” - Barry Stimmel
(Stimmel 62)
• Binge Drinking in college
– There have been many recorded deaths due to alcohol in situations
where a young man pledging a fraternity or attempting to make himself
look cool drinks too much alcohol and dies later on that night.
Heroin
• Heroin is a very powerful and
addictive pain-killing drug
• It is one of the most widely
used opiate
• Pure heroin is a bitter, white
powder, but when bought in
the United States is usually a
brownish-green color due to
impurities and additives in the
manufacturing process.
• Heroin can be injected directly
into the bloodstream, snorted,
or smoked.
Effects of Heroin
• The effects of heroin are
felt shortly after it is
consumed. The first
sensation is that of
euphoria, followed by
feelings of heaviness and
of being distanced from
the surrounding events.
After the initial effects
have worn off, the user
feels drowsy yet does not
fall asleep though it may
appear as if they are.
Dangers
• The risk of overdose is always
present since, when bought on
the streets, the purity of the
sample is impossible to
determine.
• The use and sharing of
needles is another hazard
involved with injecting heroin,
having the possibility of
contracting diseases.
• Chronic heroin abuse mayy
result in scarred or collapsed
veins, bacterial infections of
the blood vessels, and liver
and/or kidney disease.
Effects on Society
• Addiction may pose threats to a person’s friends, family,
and lifestyle.
• The main reason that heroin is illegal is because of the
crimes that are committed to obtain heroin by the
thousands of people who are addicted because of the
physical and physiological effects the drug has on the
user.
– “Heroin use has long been associated with crime because its
importation and distribution are illegal and because many
addicted people turn to theft and prostitution to obtain money to
buy the drug. In addition, violent competition
between drug
dealers has resulted in many murders and the deaths of
innocent bystanders.” (Heroin and Crime)
Conclusion
• Drug use permeates every inch of our society, from the
poor to the very rich. The long-term effects that drugs
have on each of these groups may be different, but the
effects are negative. From diseases to a ruined lifestyle,
drug use never comes with a purely problem free
outcome.
• The effects that illegal drugs currently have on society
make sanctioning drugs a frightful idea. The people who
push for decriminalization of drugs are only focused on
the short-term effects and feelings produced by these
drugs. To stop and consider the consequences of
legalizing recreational drugs would surely enlighten
those pushing for decriminalization of the fact that it is
not possible and a horrible idea in itself.
• “It drives me nuts to listen to people argue
that America should legalize more
substances so that we can further numb
our minds to the real world. Grow up.
Obviously there is something wrong with
the people in this country when we are
debating what substances we should be
able to legally get trashed with.” Matt
Warner
(Warner)