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drug_abuse x

Ladies and gentlemen I will talk about drug abuse, its effects as well as to why some people think it should be legalized and why some think it should remain illegal.

Let me start by explaining what drug abuse is. Well drug abuse, is the consumption of illegal substance in large amounts or use through methods or habits that are not approved by medical professionals. Some types of drugs include; heroin, ecstasy,

cocaine

, hallucinogens, cannabis as well as alcohol.

According to government agencies, about 7 million people take drugs for nonmedical purposes. If users are caught using or in possession of drugs, it may lead to jail term depending on the state laws in addition to possible physical, social, and psychological harm. Substance abuse is prevalent and it is estimated that there are 120 million users of hard drugs such as cocaine, heroin as well as synthetic drugs.

Avenues of obtaining drugs for misuse are varied, they include; night clubs, street corners friends, illegally buying at school or work, peddlers as well as from doctors.

Effects of drug abuse will include;

· Health problems.

·

Social problems

such as segregation.

·

Motor vehicle accidents

and

injuries

.

·

Violence

and crimes

·

Suicides

,

homicides

.

·

Addiction

.

Drug abuse, including alcohol and prescription drugs, resembles mental illness. A

protracted withdrawal syndrome

occurs with symptoms persisting for months after one stops using. Severe anxiety as well as depression is common in alcohol abuse. (Herbert & Joseph 2006).

Drug abuse causes

central nervous system

effects, which produce changes in mood, levels of awareness/perceptions as well as sensations.

The use of drug and alcohol use is mostly occurs during adolescence, and some experimentation with substances is common with older adolescents. For example, results from 2010

Monitoring the Future

survey, found that 48.2% of young people under the age of 18 have used an illicit drug at some point in their lives. 41.2% of them had consumed alcohol while 19.2% had smoked

cigarettes

. About 21% have taken drugs without a prescription. In 2002, the World Health Organization estimated that 150 million people were alcohol dependent while 400 million suffered alcohol-related problems.

Although the majority of adolescents phase out of drug use before it becomes problematic, consumptions rates are still high and there is easy access to such substances.

Most governments have designed

legislation

that is aimed at criminalizing certain types of drugs. These drugs are called “illegal drugs”, they are therefore not supposed to be produced, distributed as well as possessed. Even simple possessions could lead to legal punishment such as

death penalty

in some countries, but such laws vary across countries.

Attempts by the government to stop the production, distribution as well as sale of drugs have been unsuccessful. In the

United States

, the number of drug offenders in prison has exceeded 100,000. Despite drug legislations, organized criminal

drug cartels

continue to operate worldwide. Advocates against decriminalization argue that drug prohibition has made drug dealing a lucrative business thus leading to more drug related activities.

Why some people think the government should legalize drug use.

Some people think that drugs should be legalized because it causes positive central nervous system effects, which produce changes in mood, levels of awareness/perceptions, and high levels of productivity as well as sensations. Drug legalization will be the only way to stop the drug

violence

being experienced between drug traffickers and the police. There would be no difference between legalizing and illegalizing since drugs are readily available to the general public. (Peter Gorman 2006).

States that have legalised marijuana for medical purposes include;

Alaska, Arizona,
California,
Colorado,
Connecticut,
Delaware,
District of Columbia,
Hawaii,
Maine,
Maryland,
Michigan,
Montana,
Nevada,
New Jersey,
New Mexico,
Oregon,
Rhode Island,
Vermont and Washington.

Why some people think that the government should illegalize drug use.

Ladies and gentlemen let me finish my speech by explaining why some people think that drug should be illegalized. Well, they think that drugs should be illegalized because drug such as alcohol may lead to health problems,

social problems

, injuries, homicides,

unprotected sex

, violence,

deaths

,

motor vehicle accidents

, crimes,

suicides

as well as

addiction

. Drug abuse also caused mental illness to some individuals. People who consume alcohol experience severe anxiety as well as depression. Drug abuse has also caused marriage and family break ups. Drug abuse is also leaded to high levels of crime. (Peter Gorman 2006).

Ladies and gentlemen, I have reached the end of my speech, I hope you have learned something about drug abuse and I would like to thank you for paying attention.

Thank you.

References

Herbert Kleber and Joseph A. Califano jr., from “legalization: Panacea or Pandora’s Box?” The world & 1 Online (January 2006)

Peter Gorman, from “Veteran Cops against the Drug war,” The world & 1 Online (January 2006).