Transcript AJS101 (40384) DRUGSx

DRUGS
CONCEPTS:
1. Illicit vs Controlled
2. Connection between substance abuse and crime
3. Health effects of heroin, alcohol and marijuana
4. Various types of drugs and their effects on users
5. Homework: Band/Song
“WAR ON DRUGS”
In the 1970s, President Richard Nixon formally launched the war on drugs to
eradicate illicit drug use in the US. "If we cannot destroy the drug menace in
America, then it will surely in time destroy us," Nixon told Congress in 1971. "I am not
prepared to accept this alternative.“
Over the next couple decades, particularly under the Reagan administration, what
followed was the escalation of global military and police efforts against drugs.
But in that process, the drug war led to unintended consequences that have
proliferated violence around the world and contributed to mass incarceration in the
US, even if it has made drugs less accessible and reduced potential levels of drug
abuse.
“WAR ON DRUGS”
•
While Nixon began the modern war on drugs, America
has a long history of trying to control the use of certain
drugs. Laws passed in the early 20th century attempted
to restrict drug production and sales. Some of this
history is racially tinged, and, perhaps as a result, the
war on drugs has long hit minority communities the
hardest.
•
One of the costliest initiatives ever undertaken by the
American Criminal Justice System
•
Federal gov’t spent at least $22.1 million on the drug
war in 2009 – that is roughly $1,673.45 every second of
every day!!!
•
It influences lives, economics, judges, prisons, politics,
medical decisions and social polices
•
Has it been a success?
•
What were it’s goals?
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What impact has it had on the criminal justice system?
Definition of a Drug?
› “Drug” according to FDA is a substance that is intended for
use in:
– Prevention
– Diagnosis
– Mitigation (reduce pain, seriousness, etc.)
– Treatment
of a disease.
Illicit/Illegal Drugs
› Forbidden by law, rule or custom
› What comes to mind?
– Cocaine, heroin, PCP, methamphetamines
› Legal drugs are highly regulated and controlled and are usually
prescribed by medical personnel
› However, there are some prescription drugs that are illegally
used as well.
DRUGS OF ABUSE:
Based on their effects and modes of ingestion
› Narcotics – opiumderived/natural plant
(heroin, cocaine, synthetic)
› Stimulants – accelerate
body and brain(caffeine,
nicotine, cocaine and
amphetamines
› Depressants – slow down
brain and body function
(alcohol, sedatives, antianxiety drugs)
› Hallucinogens – create
break with
reality/hallucinations (LSD,
Ecstasy and PCP)
› Inhalants – inhaled (spray
paint, hair spray)
› Steroids – build muscle
mass and improve athletic
performance
HOMEWORK
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CHOOSE A DRUG FROM THE LIST
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EDUCATE US ON THE DRUG
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CREATE AN ALBUM COVER
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CREATE A SONG ABOUT YOUR DRUG
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PERFORM THE SONG ON 11/7
LEGAL USE VS ILLEGAL USE
› MORPHINE
– Alleviate pain
– Heart attacks
› ALCOHOL
– Legal if you are over “21”
› MORPHINE
– Used to “get high”
– No medical purpose
– Street name “heroin”
› ALCOHOL
– A crime if you are under-aged
– A crime if driving under the
influence
MARIJUANA
› DEFINITION:
the dried leaves and female flowers of the hemp plant, used in
cigarette form as a narcotic or hallucinogen.
› Also called Indian
hemp, marijuana. a tall, coarse plant, Cannabis
sativa, that is native to Asia but naturalized or cultivated in ma
ny parts
of the world and is the source of a valuable fiber as well as dru
gs such as marijuana and hashish. Compare cannabis.
› 21ST century rapid growth of legalization of medical marijuana
› Controversial Issue
DANGERS OF ILLICIT DRUGS
› Alter body chemistry and hence behavior
› Extremely dangerous
› Costly to the user and society
EFFECTS OF ILLEGAL DRUGS
SHORT AND LONG TERM
“DEADLY HIGH”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr_j11KuvFg
DRUGS AND THE CRIMINAL
JUSTICE SYSTEM
How has the war on drugs changed the US
criminal justice system?
› The escalation of the criminal justice system's reach over the past
few decades, ranging from more incarceration to seizures of
private property and militarization, can be traced back to the war
on drugs.
› After the US stepped up the drug war throughout the 1970s and
'80s, harsher sentences for drug offenses played a role in turning
the country into the world's leader in incarceration. (But drug
offenders still make up a small part of the prison population: About
54 percent of people in state prisons — which house more than 86
percent of the US prison population — were violent offenders in
2012, and 16 percent were drug offenders, according to the Bureau
of Justice Statistics.)
PRISON POPULATION SINCE “WAR ON DRUGS”
The Current Law
› Congress passed the Drug Abuse Prevention Control Act of
1970
– Better know as the controlled substances act and is the centerpiece
of the federal law on illegal drugs
– This Act created five (5) categories called schedules; these drugs are
considered dangerous with potential for abuse, so they are tightly
regulated
CATEGORY
DESCRIPTION
Schedule I
High potential for abuse, no legitimate
medical use. (Heroin, LSD, Cannabis,
Peyote and Ecstasy)
Schedule II
High potential for abuse but have
legitimate medical uses; may cause
psychological or physical dependence.
(narcotics, morphine, codeine, opium,
etc.)
Schedule III
Lower potential for abuse and have
legitimate medical uses, but may cause
psychological or physical dependence.
(antibiotics, steroids, etc.)
Schedule IV
May cause lesser psychological or
physical dependence and have legitimate
medical uses. (Darvon compounds)
Schedule V
Have even lower risk of psychological or
physical dependence and have legitimate
medical uses. (certain narcotics and
stimulant drugs – generally used for
coughing, diarrhea and pain.
Controlled Substances
› Only physicians and healthcare providers can prescribe
› They must have federal registration and be licensed
› Person receiving the prescription should take “only as
prescribed”
› It is illegal and dangerous for anyone else to take the
prescription of another person
› The same prescription may have several different names,
street names, etc.
› Title -21 of the United States Code (USC) is the set of federal
laws that regulate the drugs and controlled substance laws
Substance Abuse and Crime
Does substance abuse and illegal use of drugs cause crime and encourage and
promote illegal activity?
• Technically, anyone who is using an illegal drug is committing a crime
• Look at the 18th Amendment – It is confusing to the average citizen, because it
does not say use of intoxicating liquor is prohibited only you can’t sell, etc.
except as authorized by law
• Prior to the 18th Amendment, people made tones of money (bootlegging,
extortion, law enforcement was involved in bribery, organized crime was
popular, etc.
• In 1933 the 18th Amendment was repealed by the 21st Amendment, and selling
was legal again.
The Relationship of Drug and Crime
› Supply and Demand – people will use whatever resources
they an get their hands on to jump in the game, legal or not.
› Its not the supply that needs to be dealt with, but the demand
› The laws of supply and demand dictate illicit drug prices.
When there is a glut of drugs on the street, the prices are
lower. When street drugs become scarce, the price goes up,
and drug-related crime goes up.
How Drugs Affect the Criminal Justice System
› Negative Impact
› Selling drugs means generating lots of cash
› Protecting that money requires guns, which inevitably
translates to death, violence and injury
› Overdoses, shootouts, innocent bystanders
› ½ million people per year incarcerated for drug-related crime
› Healthcare – drug addiction by healthcare professions on the
job is a real problem
› Homicides –drug deals gone wrong
Victims of Illegal Drug Trade
› Children – in homes where adults deal drugs
– Often removed by the state
– Placed in foster homes, etc.
› Customers who have been ripped off
› Drug dealers retaliation against dealers/customers
› Innocent residents who live in neighborhood
› Businesses in the area
› Rival drug dealers
CONCLUSION
The “War on Drugs” has been the centerpiece of law enforcement
strategy since its inception, and is a major expense for taxpayers.
The results of these initiatives are mixed, although the impact on our
criminal justice system has been massive.
Criminal justice practitioners must understand the current laws on
drugs, as well as the effects of substance abuse on individuals and
society. Where there is drug use, guns and crime are quick to follow.
Look at the Netflix “13th Amendment”