The Drug Policy in the United States

A. Ricker

The Drug Policy in the United States is a very strict and well defined policy that, in this day and age, has very little room for change. Most people are well aware of the fact that there are a certain number of drugs that are illegal in the United States, but what many people do not realize is that every drug in the United States is considered and classified by the government. The Controlled Substance Act (CSA) is a new name for the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970. The laws haven’t changed too much since 1970; they still have the same basic foundation. The only differences that have been made are amendments added to strengthen the original laws on these drugs that are in our country, and make them even stricter. Even though there are many laws that control drugs in the United States, the U.S. Drug Policy is one that is easy to follow and obey. It is well known that in order to stay in the clear an individual should stay clear of drugs altogether, unless they are prescribed by a physician.

There is, of course, a basic structure to the way the government classifies all the different drugs underneath the Controlled Substance Act, “the CSA places all substances that are regulated under existing federal law into one of five schedules. This placement is based upon the substance's medicinal value, harmfulness, and potential for abuse or addiction. Schedule 1 is reserved for the most dangerous drugs that have no recognized medical use, while Schedule 5 is the classification used for the least dangerous drugs” (Controlled). The government acknowledges differences between drugs like cocaine and heroin, that have no medicinal purposes, and other drugs like pain killers and sedatives, that can be useful to the body when taken correctly. Recently there has been a lot of research being done on Marijuana, and whether or not its medicinal purpose is great enough to allow it to be prescribed by doctors. Under the CSA there are also laws that control who can have certain drugs in their possession, and who can distribute certain drugs as well as in what amounts, “the CSA also creates a closed system of distribution for those authorized to handle controlled substances. The cornerstone of this system is the registration of all those authorized by the DEA to handle controlled substances. All individuals and firms that are registered are required to maintain complete and accurate inventories and records of all transactions involving controlled substances, as well as security for the storage of controlled substances” (Controlled). It is easy to see that the U.S. government is trying to outline these drug policy lines very clearly, and because it is the publics’ responsibility to read and realize these laws, they have tried to make it as simple as possible over the recent years. They’ve done this by teaching the basics about drug policy laws, and the basics about the effects that drugs have on the body and brain in elementary schools. They have also raised awareness by putting up public posters for all to see and allowing public service announcements about drugs to be aired to the public.

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The reasons for the Controlled Substance Act vary but there is one basic way that the policy works, the basic idea behind it all is that “Laws against selling and possessing certain drugs reduce their use by reducing supply and demand for the drug” (Edgmand et al. 215). The government believes that by keeping these drugs illegal they will be able to lower the amount of people who use and sell the drugs. The main two reasons for trying to get drugs off of the streets in the United States are obvious. Having drugs in the United States has raised the amount of crime that takes place, and has also had some very damaging affects on the young people of this country. By making drugs illegal and trying to rid the U.S. of them the government is attempting to lower crime rates especially in light of the fact that “research on the relationship between drug use and crime have yielded a significant statistical relationship” (Weinman 8). The government is also trying to help people in this country become healthier, physically and mentally, with the Controlled Substance Act.

As is the case with any act or law that the government suggests and passes, there are those who agree with what the government is doing, supporters, and those who argue with what the government is doing and are opposed to the laws that have been put in place. When it comes to the drug policy in the United States, it seems this great country stands a tad bit divided. Though it is true that just about everyone is looking out for the well being of the country, it seems that there are two completely different views on how to solve the drug problems in this country.

Many of the government supporters base there opinions on fact and statistics, it has been shown through both of these that “marijuana users face a 2 percent chance per year of being arrested… for a cocaine user [the risk is] 6 percent” (Edgmand et al. 221). Those who support the government’s decisions when it comes to the drug policy believe that those numbers are enough to assume that outlawing harmful drugs like marijuana and cocaine altogether will help to decrease the supply and demand of the drugs because people will be afraid of being arrested. This is one argument that they use to justify the outlawing of these drugs. They believe that if they can lower the supply and demand for harmful drugs that is a start to eliminating them from the streets. Supporters of the government’s drug policy also stand by their argument that by outlawing these drugs and successfully getting these drugs off the streets the crime rates will be lowered as well. They point out that because crime and drugs go hand in hand with each other getting rid of one will only help to eliminate the other.

Another main concern of those who support the drug policy in the U.S. is their fear that if these harmful drugs were not illegal, the country would be much worse off. They acknowledge the fact that “the affects of harmful drugs like cocaine and heroin, are much worse then those of alcohol and tobacco” (U.S. Drug). The supports argue the point that this country already has enough problems trying to control the use of alcohol and tobacco, and to let these even more harmful drugs be legal on the streets would be nothing short of madness. They believe that if we, as a country, are not able to control drinking and driving problems, as well as over usage of tobacco products causing cancer in the masses, there is no way we would be able to control the effects that stronger and more harmful drugs would have on the people of this country.

A third aspect of the act that supporters stand by is the idea of increased enforcement. They believe that the stricter the laws and more they are enforced the better the results will be. Again supporters depend on the fear that people have of being caught and paying the consequences. The worse the consequences are for drug offenders, the less likely they are to break the laws. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made that statement that “[they] believe that drug offenders are more cautious when they know the stakes are higher, and usually when a sentence for a drug offender is a strong one, they will learn their lesson and others will see how drugs are not worth the risk” (U.S. Drug). Supporters of the U.S. Drug Policy and laws honestly believe that people who see the consequences getting worse and worse for the use and possession of drugs will eventually deem them not worth the risk, and this is one of their main arguments for the outlawing of the drugs and increased enforcement of the drug laws.

Those who are opposed to the government’s strict drug policy have a couple of points that they argue as well. First off they believe that “Drug prohibition creates criminals where there were none” (Edgmand et al. 216). They think that crime goes up when you take away peoples rights and tell them what they can or can not do. In a recent study it was stated that “In 1997, 19 percent of all state prisoners and 16 percent of all federal prisoners reported that they committed their crime to get money for illegal drugs. This was up from 16 and 10 percent, respectively, in 1991. We might assume that these people would not have committed their crimes if their drug of choice could be purchased legally” (Edgmand et al. 217), and assume they do. Those who are against the outlawing and such strict control of these drugs honestly believe that crime rates would be lowered if these drugs were legalized.

Those opposed stand by their belief that the government has no way of getting rid of drugs completely they argue that “ Getting rid of drugs altogether is an impossible task as long as people want drugs and are willing to pay for them” (Field and Pressel 269). It is sad to think but they are honest with themselves in thinking that these statements could very well be true. Those who stand opposed to the governments drug policy and who believe that making the drugs illegal is a bad thing for the United States also believe that the only what the government could control drugs would be to have “an attack on demand [of drugs] by taking the market away from the drug lords” (Field and Pressel 269). Not only would that be dangerous but it would take a lot of time and planning by the government and those opposed to the current U.S. Drug Policy do not see anything of that nature happening within the government today.

One final argument that those opposed to the strict drug laws and the U.S. Drug Policy, as well as the CSA, is the fact that all too often there is corruption that takes place, in everyday life as well as the government, that otherwise would not take place. “Large profits in illegal drugs also lead to the corruption of public officials” (Edgmand et al. 217), and it doesn’t just stop with public officials. Police officers and border patrol officers alike make low salaries in comparison to what those people who are involved in the movement and trade of drugs make. Corruption happens when greed, and resentment comes into play with members of our own government agencies. There have been many times when cops have gone bad, and helped out drug dealers in order to get their share in the profit the illegal drugs make in the United States. It happens in big cities, as well as small border towns, drugs are smuggled into the United States with police officers and border patrol members well aware of the facts, either helping them, or being paid to keep quite. Those opposed to the strict drug laws make notice of these situations, and it is one of their stronger arguments. That if these drugs are going to be allowed to be here anyways, even though they are outlawed, then laws should not stand so strong. They believe that the corruption needs to end and that if the U.S. simply legalized these drugs so much of this corruption would cease to exist.

I, like everyone else in this great country, have formed an opinion on the topic at hand. After researching more about the U.S. Drug Policy and learning about the laws that are in place to keep harmful drugs out of the country, I have concluded that the more I learn about them the more I like them. I have considered both sides of the argument and I can see both views but I stand strong in my belief that the government is currently doing what is best for the country.

I have seen first hand the consequences that come with being involved in drugs after growing up in a small city very close to the border, Yuma, Arizona. I have seen one too many young teenagers and adults as well ruin their lives for drugs, and though I acknowledge the arguments of those who are opposed to the strict drug laws, I still believe that even if the drugs were legalized they would still be ruining lives. That fact is undeniable to me, and though alcohol and tobacco are harmful also, they don’t impair the human mind the way that these stronger and more harmful drugs do. The human mind is impacted so strongly by drugs like cocaine, heroin, and marijuana and these drugs are so addicting that to legalize them would be, in my opinion, to throw away the great minds of this country by the masses.

I agree with the supporters of the Controlled Substance Act, U.S. Drug Policy, and strict laws against drugs in the United States. I believe that the policy is more then worth while, it is essential. This is one form of government intervention that I believe is necessary. I think that we should, as a country, continue to look for new ways to strengthen and enforce these laws because keeping these drugs out of our country is very important and it will help us to stay a stronger, smarter, healthier, and more alert country as a whole.

Bibliography

1. Controlled Substance Act, The. No date. 5 March 2005.

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2. Edgmand, Michael R., Ronald L. Moomaw, Kent W. Olsen. Economics and Contemporary Issues. 6th ed. U.S.A.: South-Western, 2004.

3. Field, John, Ralph Pressel. Our Economy: Why It’s Not Working and How to Fix It. 2nd ed. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, Inc., 1993.

4. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. 4 March 2005. 5 March 2005. <>.

5. Weinman, Beth. “Drugs, Crime and Correction in 2002.” Corrections Today Aug. 2002: 8.