Everyone agrees that something must be done about the tremendous physical
and emotional health problems that drug abuse causes. Concern about the abuse
of drugs is so widespread that recent polls indicate it to be one of the most
serious problems in today's world, threatening the security and freedom of whole
nations. Politicians, health experts and much of the general public feel that no
issue is more important than drug abuse. America's other pressing social
problems- disease, poverty, child abuse and neglect, and corruption- often have
a common element; that is drug abuse. The use of illegal drugs such as cocaine,
crack, heroin and marijuana cause extensive harm to the body and brain. Yet,
even after knowing this many people want illegal drugs to be legalized in every
aspect. The last thing we need is a policy that makes widely available
substances that impair memory, concentration and attention span; why in God's
name foster the uses of drugs that make you stupid? The campaign for drug
legalization is morally disgusting.The number of people who are addicted to
illegal drugs or are users of these drugs is quite shocking. Drug abuse is
clearly an injurious and sometimes fatal problem. The leaders of the
international economic summit in Paris in July 1989 concluded that the
devastating proportions of the drug problem calls for decisive action. On
September 5, 1989, President Bush called upon the United States to join in an
all-out fight against drugs. The United States Congress reports an estimated 25
to 30 million addicts of illegal drugs worldwide. Not all users are addicts, but
some of the 26 million regular users of illegal drugs in the United States are
addicted. Reports of child abuse to New York social services tripled between
1986 and 1988 and most of the cases involved drug abuse. Approximately 35
percent of the inmates of state prison were under the influence of illegal drugs
at the time they committed the crimes for which they are incarcerated. In some
parts of the country, that percentage is as high as 75 to 80! Another fact that
hits people hard is that out-right deaths from illegal drugs have quadrupled in
the last ten years! The proportion of 19 to 22 year olds who were at risk from
using illegal drugs rose from 44 percent in 1980 to 69 percent in 1987. Among
17-18 year olds the shift over the same interval was from 50 percent to 74
percent (Williams 226)! The abuse of illegal drugs is very threatening to
America's future. These drugs are the cause of many problems and crimes. Among
these many drug users exist some people who continue to resist drugs and have
been called the real heroes of the drug war (Hyde, 372). Although, drug abuse is
a serious and threatening problem today, it can be brought under control with
acceptable means.
The use of illegal drugs such as cocaine, crack, heroin and marijuana have
been proved to cause unbelievable damage and harm to the body and brain. As well
as we know, AIDS is a deadly disease which people are very frightened of today.
When parents bring a child into this world the main concern is that the child
be healthy. It is an impossible deed for a drug addict female to give birth to a
healthy child. Babies who are born with the AIDS virus should thank their
mothers who were drug addicts and brought them into this world to pay for their
own mistakes! According to Patrick Emmet, author of Drugs in America, when
cocaine is smoked, it is absorbed into the lungs and carried to the brain in
about 8 seconds (152). It depresses the breathing center in the brain and
increases the risk of death from heart failure or overdose. Doctors believe that
when a pregnant woman uses crack, the drug can trigger spasms in the blood
vessels of the fetus, restricting the supply of oxygen and nutrients, in turn
causing problems in development. When a pregnant woman takes large doses of
cocaine, the placenta may tear loose, killing the fetus and putting the mother's
life in danger. Even one use of crack can cause serious damage to fetus or to a
breast-fed baby. Heroin is another illegal drug that causes great harm and can
be life-taking too. When heroin is used it reaches the brain via the bloodstream
and is transformed into the depressant morphine. Heroin produces feelings of
euphoria, mental confusion and drowsiness. In addiction to many other effects on
the body, it depresses respiratory function (168). Thousands of heroin addicts
die from overdoses each year. Heroin users are also at great risk of getting
AIDS from the used of unclean needles. An estimated 60 percent of heroin addicts
in New York City carry the virus, and needle sharing among addicts represents ...