National Drug Control Strategy - Research Paper Example

 Street Drugs, Crime and the Law Abstract The importance of this paper is to evaluate the government’s current formulated antinarcotics policies and setbacks hindering its success. The paper illustrates the various forms of drugs abuse, its effects, and prevention strategies and also highlights on the emerging trends in the drugs abuse context. Additionally, the paper summarizes on other scholarly views on the subject matter. Obama’s National Drug Strategy In Obama’s 2015 national drug strategy, the president’s administration has placed ten billion dollars on drug education and support programs for addicts. The Obama Administration has also ordered 25.5 billion dollars to be remitted on the 2015 fiscal period. The president outlined different strategies to be followed to combat drug use. He strategizes that drug prevention must begin with education at the community level. Community based groups will be used to address local drug issues and implementation of strategies to combat the vice. Workplace education is also important to educate employees on the dangers and benefits of healthy living among themselves and their families (Bewley, 2012). There are also youth programs and campaigns to be undertaken to prevent drug abuse among them. There is also the use of media and social media platforms for anti-drugs use. The method is cost effective and far reaching. It has been proven statistically that teenagers spend a lot of their time on social networks, and hence, the best medium to pass anti-drugs awareness. There is also the mentoring program for the vulnerable youths by mentors who have a significance influence on their lives. There is also the effort of educating parents in order to effectively educate their kids on the dangers of substance abuse (Bewley, 2012). Prevention of university and college students alcohol and drugs abuse. The government through NCSSLE provides training, technical assistance and substance abuse resources to students of higher learning in order to minimize drug abuse. The ONDCP has formed partnerships with Federal members to discuss the gaps that exist in the drug abuse research program. The gaps include the emerging drugs being abused by the higher learning students. NIDA focuses on the prevention of drugs use and the problematic behaviors that arises in a child’s development as a result of drug abuse. Publication of current drugs abuse reports to assist the national government in policy making strategies (Bewley, 2012). The engagement of the law enforcing agencies with the surrounding communities, the youth programs and school activities. Currently, twenty HIDTAs are engaged in community based activities with the various law enforcement agencies through life skill education, provision of role models and mentoring programs. The DEA for example is collaborating with communities to offer educational materials and training to some law enforcing members in order to prevent drug use. The FBI through the Community Outreach Program is partnering with communities to promote public confidence and prevention of crime at large. The National Association of Resource Officers is also redesigning its curriculum to prevent drug use among youths (Bewley, 2012). There is prevention of drugged driving. It has become the government’s national objective to prevent drivers from driving under the influence of drugs. The national government is encouraging the states to enact impaired laws in their counties. The government is also screening private drivers who may be suspected to be drugged while driving, in order to press charges. However, the government has embarked on educating parents, students and other members of the community on the importance of maintaining safety measures while driving. There is also the training of law enforcers with the objective of identifying drugged drivers (Bewley, 2012). National Drug Strategy Introduction Following the rise of drugs and alcohol abuse in the country, there are a number of policies and initiatives that need to be undertaken to achieve the national goal. The national government has laid out its drug prevention strategies but there are also a few unrefined matters that need to be prioritized on the subject. Hence, there is the need for strategic measures to combat the prevalent misuse of drugs in the country. Objectives of the Study The purpose of the research is to assess the policies formulated in preventing drugs misuse in the country. The subordinate objectives include evaluating the causes of drug abuse by the users and assessing the emerging drugs commonly abused by the users. Literature Review According to Ghodse (2008) most of the deadly hard drugs found in the country are not processed internally but exported from other nations. Cocaine is mostly exported from South America especially Colombia. The US government has on several occasions donated cash assistance to the countries to assist in disruption of the supply of the drugs in those regions. There has also been the incidence of the drug transiting into the country from Venezuela. The US government has tried to make corporations with the Venezuelan government to assist in minimizing the problem. The US -Mexico border is one of major loopholes where the drugs get their way in. Bewley (2012) confirms that the Southwest border provides the corridor for majority of the US illegal drugs. He further explains that the border is one of the top priorities of the nation’s drug control department. The Mexican illegal business has become the biggest drug cartel in the US. It is approximated that ninety percent of the cocaine that enters the US market passes through the Southwest border. Mexico is the main source for marijuana, heroin and methamphetamine drugs destined for US. The Mexican drug cartels also control the distribution of weapons and ill-fitted bulk monies in the US economy. Boon, Huq & Lovelace (2012) noted that one the cause for drug abuse is caused by the semi-skilled health practitioners. Most of the Veterans abuse their medical prescriptions majorly because the VA doctors prescribed the medicines for them. Above all, they prescribe in large quantities yet the patient’s situation might be minor or they could in turn, offer a different medication with a lesser severity. In other situations, the veteran addicts buy from unscrupulous health clinics which sell the drugs for the sole purpose of making a profit. This depicts poor medical work ethics which should be addressed sooner other than later. Ferragut (2007) further explains that the youths are also at the verge of becoming drugs addict due to lack of advice and drugs abuse education. The college and university students easily engage in unsafe drug use due to peer influence and irresponsible partying lifestyles. Most of them lack moral education when joining and during their on-going learning programs. The students lack mentorship or educational programs to remind them of dangers of their risky irresponsible attitudes. Through the abuse of illegal drugs on the institutions time, they result in other vices like crime, early pregnancies, school absenteeism and drug trafficking to make ends meet. Jayamaha, AWC & PSOI (2010) confirms that many of the law enforcers at the borders lacked integrity to prevent the illegal drugs transportation into the US territory. The majority of the law enforcers demand bribes for the illegal drugs to penetrate into the country. In some other scenarios, they even aid in the transportation of these drugs. He further noted that the law enforcers lack effective communication policy with the communities, to curb the illegal trade at inception. Case Studies Source disruption of the host drug cartels need to be invaded. The US government can tackle the problem from a different perspective. Instead of the government waiting for the illegal drugs to enter the country then to dispose them, the illegal drugs department can begin to attack from the source. The government can form interagency between the host country and US government to bring out the culprits who are spoiling the countries generations (Bewley, 2012). The government can create provisional or part time employments for the youths. Firstly, campus and university students are easily lured into illegal business because of easy money to sustain their extravagant lifestyles in campus. The students are used to distribute the illegal drugs between their fellow students or to the cartel’s associates in the country. The vice can however be minimized with some kind of employment to keep them engaged and productive (Ferragut, 2007). There should be introduction of screening and drug detector devices in public and private institutions. Drugs are commonly abused in workplaces and learning institutions leading to causes of death, violence or unruly behaviors. It is about time the managements of their respective institutions take responsibility in preventing drug abuse on their watch. They can apply the use of watchdogs, surveillance cameras, sniffer dogs or drug detectors to combat the problem effectively (Jayamaha, AWC & PSOI, 2010). The government can form an education campaign for the prevention of drugs misuse. The education program should run across the media, students, employees, youths and the parents. This program will enable the government to pass the information across all stakeholders of the nation (Bewley, 2012). The government should also ensure the medical practitioners get the right training in order for them to provide the right treatment if not the best, to the patients. An example is the case of VA hospitals. The local and national government can also increase more funds to cure and prevent drugs addicted patients. Lastly, the government can equip its law enforcing agencies through training, provision of high tech technologies and greater public interrelations to minimize drug related incidences at ground level (Ferragut, 2007). Conclusion Provisions of relevant anti-narcotics strategies are the way to go to prevent misuse of drugs in the country. The health practitioners need to be trained effectively to offer the same service in return, education campaigns need to rampant in all vulnerable arenas, the law enforcers need to be effectively utilised and all members of the society need to be on the look out to assist the national government’s objectives have a meaningful impact. References Bewley-Taylor, D. R. (2012). International drug control: Consensus fractured. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Boon, K., Huq, A. Z., & Lovelace, D. C. (2012). The changing nature of war. New York: Oxford University Press. Ferragut, S. (2007). A silent nightmare: The bottom line and the challenge of illicit drugs. Reston, VA: S. Ferragut. Ghodse, H. (2008). International drug control in the 21st century. Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate. Jayamaha, D., Army War College (U.S.)., & Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute. (2010). Lessons learned from U.S. Government law enforcement in international operations. Carlisle, PA: Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College. Read More