Analytical Source Evaluation - Essay Example

Running head:  Analytical Source Evaluation Background Any chemical substance capable of producing mental, physical or behavioral change can be classifiable as a drug. The use of these substances other than for medicinal benefits could impair an individual’s mental, physical or social health. Globally, illegal drug trade is today committed to the production and distribution of drugs that are often subject to prohibitive laws. A majority of jurisdictions across the globe forbid the trade of illegal drugs except under license (UNODC 2012). The drugs that are prone to abuses are termed as illegal drugs, as to an extent, they affect a user’s perception, feelings and behavior. Though numerous campaigns globally have advocated for the legalization of such drugs, the jurisdictions have been adamant in prohibiting their use based on their effects on social and economic well-being of a nation. On comparative analysis of some sources and perspectives however, a clear understanding of the government’s case and that of the lobby groups that advocate for legalizing of the drugs can easily be identified. Section A Comparative analysis of sources against Drugs The book “Informing Americas Policy on Illegal Drugs” provides extensive reviews of the anti-drug abuse trends across the globe. Together with the UN paper dubbed “The Contemporary Drug Problem: Characteristics, Patterns And Driving Factors”, the book develops a theory model that tends to campaign wedge war on illegal drug use. This makes it possible to scale the extent in which market outcomes and the policies are essential for evaluating extensive policy interventions such as in the United States or Columbia (Manski et al, 2001). The texts and evidence presented in the UN report United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report clearly attempts to illustrate the grave nature of illegal drugs. The online report estimates that some 230 million people use illegal drugs across the globe each year, representing nearly 1 in 20 people aged between 15 and 64 years. This is effective in outlining the most affected age groups. The report further offers critical analysis of the most prevalent group. For instance, among the youth across the globe with prevalence rates gradually increasing through the teens and peaking among those aged between 18 and 25 years. According to the UN online report, the prevalence steadily declines for those aged over 65. Using the analysis provided by the UN, measures of the effects of illegal drugs can be easily estimated (UNODC 2013). “Informing Americas Policy on Illegal Drugs” illustrates how the drug system has been implemented across nations and how it has profoundly enhanced the drug problem. In the second chapter, it explains how a range of unforeseeable events has changed the shape of drug problem in the world today. Determinants and Consequences of Drug Use In the first chapter of “Informing Americas Policy on Illegal Drugs”, the book provides a general overview of the determinants of the consequences of drug abuse, with particular weight on methodology and integration among research traditions. Manski (2000) in his book further offers relevant background material for scrutiny into illegal drug policy when it explains that illegal drug use had been difficult to quantify, as economic researches into illegal drug trades have been scant. In Chapter 6, the author states that little is known about the incentives offered by social and legal sanctions that are targeted at lessening drug use. For instance, the book points out that economists have generally failed to consider family or environmental influence on illegal drug use. Conversely, the article explores how social psychologists have studied social risk factors such as family, neighborhood and peers. The first section of the first chapter explains what the determinants of drug use are. It further describes the methodological and data-related issues faced in evaluating the determinants (Manski et al, 2001). For instance, it sets out with a survey of the perspectives of neuroscience while emphasizing on how the effects of drug use range among individuals, circumstances and types of drugs. It later examines the economic research on the sensitivity of the prices of drug use. This shows the book embraces experimental evidence. The survey of drug markets seems to be intentionally brief as characteristically, the literature of drug use is vast in scope and volume. Given that a comprehensive survey of the literature seems to be beyond the scope of the report, the book tends to detail the key features of the knowledge base essential for evaluating the effectiveness of drug control policies (Manski et al, 2001). The UN online report “Drug-Related Crime - Factsheet - Drug Facts" largely addresses the cross-sectional patterns in the drug markets, the trends of prices as well as other relevant variables for an informed analysis or effective drug control policy. Adequate data such as illustrated are essential for monitoring a nation’s drug problems as well as for analyzing the impact of the policies. Drug use Risk Factors The article sufficiently describes illegal drugs and effects on human health. It further gives an example of illegal drugs to include cocaine, heroin, crack, ice and marijuana. In addition, it tends to explain the fact that these substances have double-edged capacity to inflict damage or improve human health. For instance, the drugs can cause permanent damage to the brain, heart and liver. Chapter II of the “Informing Americas Policy on Illegal Drugs” discuses the modern-day problems caused by illegal drugs and further details how it has been enhanced by the fundamental and lasting aspects that define its nature. It also features the short-term issues that have modified the patterns of drug use over time. This helps distinguish what comprises the risk factors of the illegal drug use such as addiction that from the outset are unforeseeable (Manski et al, 2001). On the other hand, Chapter 3 of the book evaluates data from the federal government and other agencies that help understand the drug problems. In Chapter 4, the principles for the organization of such data are reviewed. The data discussed is essential for informing drug control agencies on the detailed feature of drug use patterns and the markets. For instance, the use of illegal drugs pose some of the divisive or most difficult problems the American society faces, such as it is responsible for ills like premature death of users and has been responsible for violence and crimes. There is an implicit argument in the paper “Drug-Related Crime - Factsheet - Drug Facts", as it manages to illustrate that illegal drugs have devastated America’s treatment resources, as well as plagued the judicial system and the police force that are charged with maintaining law and order (White House 2012). The paper itemizes the argument into the main point, illustrating that Americans have resorted to public officials to mitigate the effects of illicit drug use. To reinforce this point, statistics from the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) are used to show that federal expenditures on control of the illegal drugs exceeded US$17 billion, a rather high figure. The statistics at the end provide perceptive and convincing evidence of the weight of drug abuse as a problem. SECTION B Arguments in Favor of Drugs Illegal drugs provide a lucrative business opportunity. According to the "World Drug Report - Global Illicit Drug Trends" report by the UN, though the illegal drug trade is principally unrecognized, it has the potential to earn profits that reach hundreds of billions. For instance, according to the World Drugs Report for the fiscal year 1997, the market value for illegal drugs was estimated at US$400 billion. Additionally, in 2001, the UK Home Office published an online report on the illegal drug market, in which it revealed that the market reached over £6.6 billion a year (White House 2012). The UN fact sheet further denotes that towards the end of 2009, money from illegal trade in drugs rescued the banking sector from falling, as it reportedly offered liquid investment capital. According to a World Bank report, the claim is valid as in 2008, the banking industry faced a major problem of liquidity with clues that a number of banks had been saved that way (White House 2012). Benefits of Drug Legalization The online article at Benefitof.net addresses the critical issues surrounding drug legalization. For instance, it attempts to explore the advantages of legalizing illegal drugs as it reduces crime rates and argues that the crimes linked to drug use are merely due to their illegality (Daniel, 2011). To take a more objective angle, it advises that drug market should afterwards be legalized. The article further explains that drug legalization could help solve real life issues including reasons why many users turn to the drugs. To reinforce the point, it adds that its legalization offers policy makers an opportunity to address underlying causes of drug addiction thus reducing the population of drug abusers (Daniel, 2011). Changing Drug Policy The book “Informing Americas Policy on Illegal Drugs” also seems to argue in favor of the drugs when it explains that perhaps the most vital advances in thinking about drug policy has often involved the idea that mechanisms drawn from different groups may complement each other in a supplementary way. This means that the policies should assume a rather softer approach that appears to favor the drugs, or certain drug types (Manski et al, 2001). By considering the complementary roles that the altered policies play, the past perceptions of drug policy that drugs have no verifiable benefits to a nation are eliminated. This also opens the possibilities of changing the policies in an innovative way particularly after analysis of the underlying benefits. The complementary roles of the policy can also help eliminate the problem of assessing the effectiveness of optional drug-control strategies. For instance, since time immemorial, anti-drug abuse policies have been viewed to conflict with their medicinal values at ideological, political or philosophical level. This means politics of drugs have tended to side with policies that favor treatment and prevention of drug abuse. However, since it is generally viewed that different mechanism can be enhanced to complement each other, each one is allowed to perform its roles better than it could alone. The book “Informing Americas Policy on Illegal Drugs” effectively discusses that the policy, or law enforcement, may be helpful in treating drug users by providing a direct referral source for those drug users who have been reluctant to volunteer for treatment (Manski et al. 2001). However, this may only be possible once the drugs are legitimized or when the harsh punishments by the drug law enforcements are softened (Scott 1998). References Daniel, H. 2011. Benefits Of Drug Legalization. BenefitsOf April 12. Available at: http://benefitof.net/benefits-of-drug-legalization/ [March 7, 2013] Manski C., John V. & Carol V. (ed). 2001. Informing Americas Policy on Illegal Drugs: What We Dont Know Keeps Hurting Us Committee on Data and Research for Policy on Illegal Drugs. Committee on Law and Justice and Committee. UNODC. 2013. World Drug Report - Global Illicit Drug Trends. Available at: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/WDR.html [March 7, 2013) UNODC. 2012. The Contemporary Drug Problem: Characteristics, Patterns And Driving Factors. Available at: http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/WDR2012/WDR_2012_Chapter2.pdf [March 7, 2013] Scott P. & Jonathan Marshall. 1998. Cocaine Politics: Drugs, Armies, and the CIA in Central America, Berkeley: University of California Press. White House. 2012. Drug-Related Crime - Factsheet - Drug Facts". Available at: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/factsht/crime/index.html [March 7, 2013] Read More