Crime and drugs

Each response needs to be 250 words with one reference each.

Response 1 Anderson

In this week’s lesson we went over the illicit drug trade that plagues the country of Mexico, but also how their actions and deals make its way into the United States. It has become increasingly clear that the cartels and drug trade have transformed from the way they used to operate into militant groups exercising guerilla tactics to enforce their own agenda. The topic of drugs, drug use, and crime in the United States is very controversial, so I want to preface this by saying that these are my opinions that I have formed on my own, and I do not wish to directly impose my beliefs on all of you. My feelings towards drugs can be described as very liberal when compared to the status-quo and current criminalization of drugs. I am of the personal belief that all drugs (yes, all of them) should be decriminalized, with the exception of marijuana and psychedelics being fully legalized, regulated, and sold in dispensaries. I do not believe that our criminal justice system handles non-violent drug offenders the correct way, as harsh sentences for drug possession is not going to stop someone from using a substance that they are chemically dependent upon in their brain. My decriminalizing drug possession for personal use, we can stop the overpopulation of prisons from growing, as well as getting drug users the treatment they need. By offering injection sites, drug users may bring in their substances acquired on their own and can be monitored and administered the drug in a safe and clean environment. As a result, we could expect to see a decrease in drug overdoses, in the spread of disease from sharing needles, and by professionally administering drugs like lysergic acid, we can introduce new therapeutic remedies to help people combat and overcome their addictions. I believe that fines and harsh prison sentences for drug possession only causes the circle of crime to repeat. You become surrounded by people who are in prison for objectively harsher crimes, you become involved in gangs, you develop a hardened mentality, and you are more likely to jump back into the same business you got locked up for. There is no observable evidence that suggests prison sentences actually solve state drug problems (Pew, 2018). However, while I am very liberal when it comes to personal drug use and possession, I do not share the same attitudes towards drug distribution.

While I believe that the solutions I provided would benefit the systemic issues in our criminal justice system surrounding drug possession (as a result of the War on Drugs), I cannot hold the same attitudes towards those dealing the drugs. Although I believe drug possession should be decriminalized, possession with intent to sell or involvement in drug trade should remain criminalized. By federally legalizing (and state legalizing) drugs like marijuana and psychedelics, the hope is that by keeping people off the streets who are dealing drugs, users will have to go through a legal process of purchasing certain drugs like marijuana or magic mushrooms. Speaking from personal experience of people that I know, the violence related to drugs does not come from personal drug use. The violence comes from the drug trade and sale. Your average consumer of marijuana does not carry a Glock-18, however any distinguished drug dealer is likely to. In summary, I personally feel as if programs such as D.A.R.E. and other anti-drug campaigns pushed onto kids at an early age was a breeding ground for kids to rebel and believe that adults lied to them. When you display ads about how marijuana makes you want to burn down a school, and then you try marijuana for yourself and see the real effects, you start to question if everything else is actually dangerous like the people in power said. While yes, certain drugs are more harmful to the body than others, we should be addressing the topic not by saying “Say no to drugs”, but by saying “Say no to drugs, but if you are going to use them, you need to be safe, and here’s all the resources to ensure that”.

Response 2 Arceo

Factors I believe play a role in drugs and crime are the monetary value for those involved in drugs. The money is right for them, but it is easier for them than working a 9-5 job. Not only do they get used to the money in that way of life, but if and when they get caught, it doesn't end. The number of drugs in the prison system and the number of people incarcerated for drugs are incredibly high. In 2015, drug-related arrests cost an estimated 9 million dollars a day to confine them (Pearl, 2018). With money also comes power and the want for more, which becomes a problem because it can tie back to gang related activity or committing the crime to be respected in that way of life. I can speak for someone who has family involved in drugs. It is a selfish way to earn a living; they get caught, get incarcerated for years, and return to the same form of life upon release. I think it is because of the fear of being a felon and being denied the opportunity to get a good-paying job that will put them back in the social status when they were involved in drugs. Other factors that play a role in drugs and crime are the environment in which people are raised to include their families. Suppose they have a history of people involved in drugs or drug use. In that case, they have a probability of becoming a part of the problem("What are risk factors and protective factors? | National Institute on Drug Abuse", 2011). As technology is evolving, so is the war on drugs. Take, for example, "El Chapo," the Mexican drug lord that was incarcerated in Mexico for his involvement as a leader in the cartel along with being a drug lord. He was captured and imprisoned in Mexico but escaped in 2001 and 2014. His escape shined the light on the corruption in the Department of Justice. He was extradited to the U.S., where he serves a life sentence(Beith, 2011). Strategies I recommend for drug offenses is a program that helps drug offenders rehabilitate them rather than incarcerate them where they are being exposed to drugs and crime. Reducing inmates in jail for drugs would rid the problem of overcrowded prisons. Like white-collar crime, I am not sure the import and export of drugs is a problem that we have a solution for. Mainly due to cuts in the budget of law enforcement, drugs are something that will always be a problem in the world. But focusing on helping those who care to change can help change a few lives at a time.