Reasons For Illegal Use Of The Drugs - Research Paper Example

Reasons For Illegal Use Of The Drugs Abstract There has been a growing concern in the international and national level over the increased drug abuse among the populations. Different countries show different trends in narcotic and drug abuse, but the abuse of prescription drugs has rapidly risen to demonstrate a problem the governments and societies have to deal with currently, and in the future. The narcotics, stimulants, and central nervous system depressants drug abuse have been prevalent in the USA among other regions, and have contributed to increased death rates due to the harmful effects of drug abuse. There are numerous reasons for illegal use of the drugs, and though abuse of some drugs has generally reduced, it has either been associated with control measures, shortages, or substitution of other drugs. This paper addresses the trend of narcotic and other drugs abuse in four major parts: prescription drugs, illicit drugs, opiates, and drug abuse by age with variations in different regions. Keywords: Opium, Drug Abuse, Opiates, Opioids, Marijuana, Prescription Drugs, Stimulants, Addictions, Narcotics, Cocaine, Heroin, Cannabis, Medical Reasons Introduction Drug abuse has become a common phenomenon within most societies in the world today. The governments, community programs, parents, and preventive institutions have raised concern over the increased use of illicit drugs due to addiction, and most NGOs have come up with merged programs to assist in controlling the drug abuse. Although people give much attention to drug abuse on illegal drugs depending with the legitimacy in their nationality, the abuse of prescription drugs on non-medical reasons have increased tremendously, especially in the developed nations than in the third world countries. It is a problem that has trapped both the young and the old people in addictions, which make them to compulsively seek the drugs, despite a good number of them being aware of the harmful effects they have on their mental and physical health. The blame seems to be passed on to the health and medical systems for the constant and unregulated supply, though honestly, individual users and their supporters admit to needing help to suppress the use. Narcotics, stimulants, and central nervous system depressants drug abuse have continuously increased in the USA, and so has been the risk in threatening the citizens’ lives. Abuse of Prescription Drugs The rapid increase of prescription drug abuse is turning into an epidemic problem in the USA; it costs the nation and individuals in Medicare and insurers, not to mention the risk of deaths. In the USA, in a senate drug caucus hearing, Senator Feinstein reported drug abuse problem to rank the second after marijuana drug abuse, with an increase of overdose deaths in the last decade, and the abuse has been linked to medical prescription and dispensation than other sources (United States senates, 2012). Most of the abusers across the globe prefer medications which contain psychological drugs (the narcotics) to meet their various needs that conflicts with their health. Over the time, the suppliers, involving the pharmaceuticals and drug traffickers have responded to the increased demand, promoting the drug abuse among the young people, sick patients who need them, and the old age group. Similarly, because of the aging population and the prevalence of the chronic pain among the people, medical prescriptions for narcotic drugs has grown over the years, which well introduces the other members of the society into the drug abuse. In most cases, those who are abusing the drug and have no record of medical problem that prescribed the drugs, were introduced by their family members or friends (whether by consent or not), or bought from the websites pharmaceuticals for reasons other than prescribed. Prescription painkillers are considered to be the most abused prescription drugs, which have more than tripled in the last decade in the USA (O’Toole, 2012). These drugs, amphetamines and methylphenidate which are known stimulants and treatments for ADHD, have strongly increased in intake among the college and adults, who acquire them from friends and family members with prescriptions. Most of the reasons are to increase pleasure and concentration in their activities, which ends up in an addiction that seriously affects their brain. According to Davey, as the prescription drug abuse grows, the death toll has increased in the US and Australia among others, demonstrating a higher number of deaths each year from overdoses of prescribed opioids, than from heroin and other illicit drugs (2013). The drug abusers always develop different ways to use the drugs without being identified by crushing the pills into powder, soluble in the water for injecting, sniffing, or mixing with other drugs which could be very dangerous. Illegal Narcotics Different countries show different rates of abuse of the illicit drugs or narcotic drugs under national and international control. In the global level, as of 2010, a population of between 153 and 300 million people, between 15 and 64 of age had consumed an illicit substance; with a wide use of cannabis drug than other drugs like cocaine, opicids and opiates, at a rate of 2.6 to 5 % of the adult population (“Recent statistics,” n.d.). The international organization and countries have put much effort to control illicit drugs, but the stabilization of these drugs in the market has turned out challenging, as the society shifts consumption from one drug to another. With the improved trend in the drug control, developing countries undermine the progress in their increase of production, cultivation, and use of drugs like opium and coca, let alone their distribution (Zakharova, 2010). The illicit drugs use may have increased, but such had substances like cocaine show a reduction in use, which is recommendable. Consumption of cocaine drug has remained stable at a global level, but varied in individual nations, with respect to the demand and the control measures in place. According to Mann, cocaine use reduced from 2.4 to 1.5 million users from 2006 to 2010 (2013). This can be attributed to the seizure of pure cocaine and countering of smuggling and counterfeit drugs in the US market. Opiates The drugs and its derivatives have been prevalent among the infected patients, mostly with HIV/AIDs, hepatitis, and cancer patients. Heroin users have increased in the Asian (South and East) and African regions more than in the European regions, which is also a critical consuming region; this follows the increasing concerns of the growing abuse of the general opioids and opiates which are so prevalent in North and South America and Europe (“Recent statistics,” n.d.). Some regions have reduced heroin intakes, but the use of synthetic opioid and other substitutes have also increased in some countries, making a trade off with the prevalent heroin. Heroin drugs are the most injected drugs among the drug abusers, and cause a high number of deaths among the other opiates. Although the shortage of opium back in 2010 facilitated a decline in opium intake, the trend is increasing as production is returning to normalcy. According to the world drug report, Afghanistan is the world largest producer of opium, followed by Myanmar and Mexico among a few others that facilitate distribution of illegal trafficking of the drugs to the consumer markets around the globe (UNODC, 2011). Opiates, especially the heroin fetch a good price in the market for the producing countries and individuals, which makes them to continue the drug production to meet the demand in the world. Trend of Drug Abuse by Age The young people are in a very risky position as the drug abuse among them persists at their very tender age: they become prone to insecurity, early infections of diseases, crime and early deaths associated with the health effects of the drugs. Based on the age difference, young adults between 18 and 25, and adults from 26 years and above recoded an increasing trend of 4.1 to 4.6, and 1.3 to 1.6 percent of high prescribed opioids, from 2002 to 2007 respectively (Sehgal, Manchikanti and Smith, 2012). Among the young people including the teenagers, the simplest abuse begins with drinking, smoking cigarettes, using various pills and stimulants, then marijuana before engaging in other drugs. High school seniors and juniors have a clear, easy chance of drug introduction and use; and because they are still developing, peer pressure and exposure to illicit drugs and abuse of licit drugs in parties, school neighborhoods, and imitation of movie stars accelerate the drug abuse to harmful levels. Basically, the teens increase in abuse of prescription drug seems to offset other illicit drug use apart from marijuana, turning on to stimulants and sedatives among other stimulant drugs to achieve relaxation or get high. The illicit drug use in the US in the age bracket of persons aged 12 and 17 rose from 9.3 to 10.1 percent from 2008 to 2011, 13.3 % rate of alcohol in 2011and a decline in tobacco use (SAMHSA, 2012). The youths, especially between the age of 18 and 26 are the highest drug abusers in the US, which also seem to be similar in other countries. In reference to gender, the males have always dominated in the drug abuse, despite the increasing number of women in drug abuse; this is because men have an easy way out to purchase and access the dealers than the women do. Drug abuse is also high in the sex industry across the globe for both genders, considering the trafficking activities are linked with the drugs distribution and abuse. Reference List Davey, M. (2013, March 17). Death toll rises as prescription drug abuse grows. Retrieved from http://www.theage.com.au/national/death-toll-rises-as-prescription-drug-abuse-grows-20130316-2g7mx.html Mann, D. (2013). Illegal drug use on the rise in U. S. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20110908/illegal-drug-use-on-the-rise-in-the-us O’Toole, J. (2012, February 24). How prescription drug abuse costs you money. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/22/news/economy/prescription_drug_abuse/index.htm Recent Statistics and Trend Analysis Of Illicit Drug Markets. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/WDR2012/WDR_2012_Chapter1.pdf SAMHSA (2012, June 25). Results from the 2011National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings .Retrieved from http://www.samhsa.gov/data/nsduh/2k11results/nsduhresults2011.htm Sehgal,N., Manchikanti, L., and Smith, H.S. (2012). Prescription Opioid Abuse in Chronic Pain: A Review of Opioid Abuse Predictors and Strategies to Curb Opioid Abuse. Retrieved from http://painphysicianjournal.com/2012/july/2012;15;ES67-ES92.pdf United States Senates. (2012, July 18). Senate Drug Caucus Holds Hearing on Prescription Drug Abuse July 18, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.drugcaucus.senate.gov/r-prescription-drug-abuse-hearing-7-18-12.html UNODC. (2012). The Opium/Heroin Market. Retrieved from http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/WDR2011/The_opium-heroin_market.pdf Zakharova, A. (2010). International Cooperation against Illegal Drugs and Narcotic. Retrieved from http://al.odu.edu/mun/docs/Issue%20brief%202010,%20Cooperation%20against%20drugs%20and%20narcotics.pdf Read More