Drug Abuse, Racial Injustice & The War on Drugs - Research Paper

Introduction

The illegal use of drugs is among the most heated debates in the political and social climate of the United States. Government investigative units and the police have linked drug abuse and crime to racial backgrounds. This attitude has resulted in questioning the integrity of police officers in ensuring justice is served. The war on drugs is a campaign that aims at stamping out the use of illegal drugs which involves cracking down drug dealers and drug consumers. However, it is disturbing how the police manage to arrest and charge drug consumers but fail to arrest the drug dealers (Purnell, Purnell, & Butts, 2019).

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In the early 90s drugs-related corruption cases exposed senior police officers in the middle of the corruption scandals which have hinted on the negative influence of illegal drugs on policing.

Unfortunately, there is no tangible government statistics that reveal how police integrity has been compromised. Police crimes may often occur when a police officer is on duty but sometimes when they are off duty.

Publicity to Decrease Drug use

Campaigns

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, i.e. (U.N.O.D.C.) is among the leading organizations that have continued to conduct campaigns against crime, abusing drugs and drug trafficking. Every year, U.N.O.D.C. celebrates the International Day against Drug Abuse. Mass Media campaigns against drug abuse have been used as a powerful tool to reach millions of people (UNODC, 2019). These campaigns have been carried out through newspapers, T.V.s, Radio, the internet, and mobile phones, among many others. Antidrug abuse campaigns have contributed significantly to restoring sanity in drug consumption and cutting down on illicit drug use. These campaigns aim at creating awareness and shaping a person's attitude towards drug abuse.

There are a series of concerns on the ethics and integrity of the parties taking part in the campaigns. Federal officers have been at the forefront of these campaigns but have been blamed for misusing their authority to impose the implementations of these campaigns forcefully on minors who cannot consent. The police should liaise with the public and parents when making decisions on the campaigns used because these campaigns promote behavioral change. Besides, police agencies have been awarded huge sums of money to facilitate these campaigns. For instance, the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy's National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign has released over 2.8 billion dollars in the past 10 years to fund the antidrug abuse campaigns CITATION Kri18 \l 1033 (Lee-Jones, 2018). A more significant percentage of this money goes to place agencies who have been blamed for channeling the money into their pockets.

These corrupt police officers have hindered the effectiveness and efficiency of these campaigns because the funds are not channeled to the right platforms. In November 2, 2018 a senior police officer in Philadelphia pleaded guilty to looting antidrug abuse campaign money and collaborating with other corrupt officials to sell drugs.

Some rogue police officers interfere with the antidrug abuse campaigns by unlawfully arresting and charging those involved in the campaigns. In Thailand police officers illegally detained and assaulted individuals who were taking part in the campaigns.

Drug Treatment Programs

Just Say No

The U.S. government launched the Just Say No campaign in the early 1980s under President Reagan in its efforts to expand the war on drugs. The number of people using cocaine had risen to 5.8 million. President Reagan signed into law the infamous Anti Drug Abuse Act that gave police officers the power to arrest and charge suspected drug users. During this time, the police abused their power and arrested over 400,000 people by 1997. Drug abuse treatment programs and modalities continue to diversify in order to fit the individual needs of affected persons. First, most programs begin with a detoxification program and a withdrawal model that is medically managed. During detoxification, the body clears drugs from the system. This step is most significant because it helps to manage physiological effects that are often associated with withdrawal from drug abuse.

D.A.R.E.

The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) is a program that trains police officers and equips them with relevant antidrug abuse information. These officers are sent to local schools to teach school going kids on the effects of drug abuse, resist peer pressure or temptations to consume illicit drugs. The program was flagged off in 1983 and targeted both 5th and 6th grade, but currently, it has expanded to include up to 9th-grade students. Some of the topics covers during the DARE program include alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, and over the counter drugs. Today it is estimated that over 120 towns had adopted the program by 2010. The U.S. Department of justice is the leading donor that offers federal grants to municipalities and schools that have adopted this program.

There are concerns about whether the police are the right individuals to lead the DARE program in schools as existing literature reveals that the youths have a negative perception towards the police. Some students have had negative encounters with the cops e.g., being arrested unlawfully or beaten up, which has tinted the police image among such groups.

Another treatment program is often referred to as Long term Residential Treatment which aims at offering care to addicts 24 hours a day in non-hospital settings. The Therapeutic Community focuses on re-socializing an individual with other community and staff members. Short term residential approach was initially designed to last between 3 to 7 weeks. Due to the prevalent drug abuse cases, it has been developed into inpatient treatment in a hospital setting and outpatient aftercare programs. Outpatient Treatment programs vary significantly depending on the intensity and number of services offered. Some of the outpatient treatment models include intensive day treatment and group counseling. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Individualized Drug Counseling treatment program not only aims at stopping drug abuse but also addresses opportunities that are affected by drug abuse. For instance, individualized counseling addresses drug-related crimes, social relations, and efficiency at the workplace. This model emphasizes more on short term behavioral goals that equip the patient with tools to abstain and cop up with a free drug abuse life.

Mostly, drug abusers encounter the criminal justice system before they begin treatment programs. In many cases, police have abused their authority when they come into contact with drug abusers. When communities are filled with illegal drugs, police officers are tasked to crack down on the consumers and dealers in order to restore peace in the communities. Often gang violence, burglaries, and muggings begin to rise in such areas. One of the most challenging prosecution and arrests are those related to drug abuse since there no complainants. Police officers arrest suspected drug users but are later released for lack of sufficient evidence

Police officers become overwhelmed, cynical, and angry hence resorting to using force and violence to cab drug abuse. In other cases, the drug dealers mock the police and provoke them to purse justice using unprofessional means or planting evidence.

How effective have drug awareness campaigns been in fighting the war on drugs?

The O.N.D.C.P. (Office of National Drug Control Policy) Study From 1999 to 2000

Whether the drug awareness campaigns are successful depends on individual parties asked. Most people in support the campaigns believe that it has significantly contributed to lowering the rates of drug abuse in the U.S. For instance, a report from the Office of National Drug Control Policy reveals that in 1979, there were about 25 million drug users in the country. Through the awareness campaigns, the number had fallen to 14,8 million in 1999.

Incarcerations

Critics of the drug awareness campaigns have raised heated debates on the deterrence tactics used by police officers to crack down on drug consumption. One of the leading topics raised by the critics is the mass incarceration by police officers for crimes that are viewed as nonviolent. A report from the Prison Policy Initiative reveals that over 2.3 million people are locked up in the American criminal justice system due to drug-related offenses. Currently, over 500,000 people have been sentenced to prison for drug abuse.

Additionally, most critics believe that the campaigns targeted minorities. The Anti-Drug Abuse Act included more substantial penalties for blacks who consumed 5 grams of crack cocaine compared to whites who consumed 500 grams of powdered cocaine. A more significant number of police officers were deployed to the minority communities, which resulted in disproportionate criminalization rates. In 2010 the Congress passed the Fair Sentencing Act to reduce the discrepancies between white sentencing and black sentencing.

Recidivism Rates

Overdoses

According to the United States Sentencing Commission 2016 report, over 50 percent of federal; drug abuse offenders had been rearrested and recidivated. In May 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice released a special report on Recidivism after following up on the drug offenders from2005-2014. According to the report, about 44 percent of individuals were rearrested within the first year, while 83 percent of individuals were rearrested at least once within then nine years for overdosing (Office of the National Drug Control Policy, 2019).

Deaths

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2016 report, the number of deaths resulting from the abuse of opioids has quadrupled since 1999. A January 9, 2015 report reveals that every day, 6 alcohol-related deaths are recorded. Drug abuse may shut down parts of the brain that are essential for controlling heart rate, body temperatures, and even breathing. In 2016, over 64, 000 drug-related deaths were recorded.

Evidence-Based Practice

Portugal

Over 10 years ago, both the United States of America and Portugal had battled with illicit drug use and took affirmative actions to cut down on the rates. For the U.S., it was about spending more billions to deploy more police officers to minority locations and incarcerating more drug offenders. For Portugal, it was different. The government of Portugal decriminalized the consumption of all drugs, including cocaine and heroin. However, Portugal embarked on a comprehensive health campaign to prevent addiction. In Portugal, drug addiction is regarded as a medical problem and not a criminal offense like in the U.S. Today, as millions of U.S. citizens are struggling with addiction and drug abuse, Portugal appears to be winning the war with only 25, 000 individuals using heroin CITATION REC17 \l 1033 (RECIDIVISM AMONG FEDERAL DRUG TRAFFICKING OFFENDERS, 2017). In 2015 the rate of drug misuse had dropped by nearly 20 percent since the decriminalization law cam into place.

What has been proven to help?

Crime rate

Drug-related crime rates in Portugal are 21836 compared to 11.88 million crimes in the U.S. Decriminalization has produced a positive impact on crime in Portugal, which reduced from 14, 000 in the year 2000 to 5500 in 2012.

Overdoses

Unlike in the U.S., where drug addiction is regarded as a crime, Portugal treats addiction as a medical illness. Besides, after the Decriminalization Act was passed, Portugal l embarked on a comprehensive health campaign to prevent addiction. For this reason, t...