Running head: ILLEGAL DRUGS AND VIOLENCE

Illegal Drugs and Violence

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ILLEGAL DRUGS AND VIOLENCE

Illegal Drugs and Violence

The relation of illegal drugs and violence is clearly shown through sheer research in

which there is a suggestion that substance abuse plays a role in the various forms of violence.

This is also backed by the fact the research on these issues dates back over decades. Observation

of the crime statistics indicates the link between violence and substance abuse in society clearly.

Similarly, from the documentary, its clear marijuana abuse was the main cause of violence in

society (Alvarez, 2014). Despite the success in eliminating some of the most prominent

distributors of the drug, the effects still live on, this is because of the social impact that the drug

had on the community.

The study done by Marvin Wolfgang in Philadelphia showed that 55% of his samples

were under influence of alcohol before their murder. The study further states that this is not only

limited in America but there is 48% of most of the cases in the world is linked to violence and

substance use. It’s in this regard, that Robert Sampson and John Laub concluded that criminality

and violence in the society are majorly contributed by poverty and weak social controls.

Socially violence has been attributed to various factors. Researchers argue that aggression

is one of the causes of violence among people in society. The environment also plays a vital role

in mould of one`s aggressiveness. An 8-year old child is likely to be violent later on if brought

up in an environment that harbors such cases. The study on Humboldt has revealed how he

grown from being bad to worse because of the laws that made the use of marijuana legal. Theft
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cases and murder have increased as people seek to get murder in order to take care of their needs

but they are not ready to work to get the money.

The case of Garret Rodriguez is the best example of the social issues that take place at

Humboldt County as seen in the documentary, “Mountain Murder”. Garret goes missing due to

engaging in the selling of marijuana which is the main source of income in the region. However,

due to the violence associated with substance use must have been the main reason that has led to

his disappearance and his vehicle being found abandoned miles away. This is a case of

aggressiveness to achieve beyond that must have led Garret to his death. Therefore, it’s clear that

this violence can get worse and even lead to the murder of the culprits.

Are there different forms of violence for different type of illegal drugs?

Just to start with as we proceed to crime and violence as a result of consumption of

restricted drugs, its vey paramount to note that this part tries to find out another very important

view of the drug use that they as well unravel other manner in which the connection between

drug use and violent crimes. For instance we have the socio-economic relationships which

adamantly reveals that most drug users do engage in violent crimes as they try to support

financially their normality of drug use (Duke, Smith, Oberleitner, Westphal, & McKee, 2018).

Therefore from this illustration, it’s obvious that a good numbers of addicts do due to the

coercive desire for the drugs and skyrocketing values of these substances forces users to engage

in this crimes in order to raise the money needed to acquire the drugs. This assumption majorly
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does center on specific personnel that have shown very high mode of dependence on the high

cost substances and has as well developed a perception that large quantities of finances in

relation to use of these drugs that re mostly restricted provides some sort of security.

A large number of persons tend to link drug abuse with crimes and in most cases the

violent conduct. This is to mean that addicts may at some point result to resort to violent

behaviors especially that moment that after consumption of the substances, that are mainly

associated with interfere with one’ judgments, the ability of one to control themselves, one acting

a suspicious manner or coming up with very weird behaviors same way as just the hallucination

part. even though many of the intoxications that do affect the mental and nervous alignment can

as well lead to same modes of one’s reception, the research on the same comes out to state that

there are a few drugs that rare more than others linked to the violence reception of the use.

Drug abuse and violence connections comes out in a variety of manners; the abuse has

been revealed that its likely to work on the brain in result leading to very dangerous

consequences on an individual that in a later stage may force the person to end up engaging in a

destructive mode of conduct behavior wise (Briggs, & Monge 2017). Those persons who has

been on a high voltage consumption of the heroin or similarly the cocaine drugs have been

deemed to be involved in behaviors that may lead to one being involved in crimes that are mostly

very violent just to get in touch with the necessary resources such as the cash with which they are

able to buy the other batch of the same drug. Such it should be noted that the narcotic dealers are

id to engage in more volatile crimes compared to their counterparts who are majorly engaged in

alcohol dealings.
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Both the alcohol, narcotics, stimuli, recreational drugs, narcotics together with other

drugs other many illegally use drugs they are seen to be very different from one another

especially the manner in which they have been observed working in different people and the kind

of response people give after using the drug, especially the violence behavior that most addicts or

just first consumers get to be involved with. overall view of the connection between the drug

abuse together with violence are somehow from the numerous studies done on the same reveal

that the connection is way very much hard for just anyone to understand the relationship, and the

main genesis of this complication is due to them any direct or the indirect stages of mingling.

These stages ay involve; those drugs that do mental arousal, the we have this other group

f drugs that tends to give the user somehow a feeling of accreditation to go ahead to commit the

valance of any kind, there are these drugs that do require a well lid out lines of well-arranged

chins of flow that do need a well castrated violence for the drug to be able to move from one

location to another. Then lastly we have other mode of survival that does need for a certain

violent environment to be maintained in a given area or region so that the drug can be in that

area.

Numerous studies on the planned attestations of drug abuse working on stimulated

particular mental modes mainly have been drawn from the studies that have so far been carried

out on the animals in regard to drugs. Despite the fact that only a countable number of

neuroendocrine as well as that of the neurochemical neurophysiological matters that already have

been identified in most humans. The results obtained from most of the researches done on drugs

and the violence associated with I were mainly to establish the effects that was linked to the

primary causes of violent behaviors while the those studies that were conducted in humans were
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mainly to connect the primary cause of the same aggressive manners as portrayed by addicts and

how they may be connected with the history of drug abuse in a person.

There exists a very strong rooted connections with the drug abuse together with the act of

engaging in aggressive behaviors or in other word one could say that being found to be the

projected aim of the violent mannerisms that then agitates the identifying those informal

connections (Trejo, & Ley, 2020). Normal judgmental tend to bend towards stating that the most

outcomes of drug abuse is likely activate the aggression nervous or cells that then prompts one

into violence. some of the drugs that have already ben scouted o be leading to very high voltage

of volatile reactions include, “PCP (phencyclidine), cocaine, amphetamines etcetera” other the

hand only heroin together with cannabis have so far been connected with very less instances of

violence from the users. Some of the drugs are commonly abused and their effects include;

“Marijuana” it’s mainly associated to have its users show very minimal desire to engage in

violent acts or behaviors, “heroin” heroin just like marijuana also has a very low tendency on its

users to case any violent acts after user however in a case where one is experiencing withdrawal

effects it may turn out very different, “Cocaine” the major results of one using this drugs is that it

majorly does work on activating the sensory organs. And as such it may result in delusions

which has not been proven as it’s not that consistent in all the drug user, then we have the “PCP”

which is highly connected to aggression among its users.it also de works on activating the

nervous systems after which the user is then observer with such conduct.

From the results obtained in Canada in, “1997 survey homicide in Canada” more than the

half of the people ,that is the 50% of all the persons that had been accused were found to have

use either alcohol or abused some restricted substances just before being involved in the crime
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they are accused of. Yet another research on the same in Canada too that was done among the

prisoners shows that just a few counts above the average which exactly was tagged to be 50.6%

of the prisoners had been convicted to have used the restricted substances on the particular day or

date that they were involved in the offenses that they had been charged with (Collins, Boyd,

Damon, Czechaczek, Krüsi, Cooper, & McNeil, 2018). Also reports from the US states that 24%

and 49% of federal prisoners together with the state prisoners respectively were under influence

of the prohibited drugs at the time of the crime committing. All these studies and the findings do

provide close connection between the use of illicit drugs and the violent behaviors that most

inmates showed while committing crimes that later led to the being imprisoned.

Persistence consumptions of these restricted substances like the heroin, or cocaine is very

high costing. The total money spent on finding these drugs has been found to come from social

aid, greedy rimes, plus the prohibited sale of these drugs. Research from Quebec in 1990 details

that the financial demands that are connected every day usage of cocaine goes way almost

beyond $43000 annually. Another study also comes out to affirmatively outline that the criminal

involvement does depend on the one’ connection to the drug that they are using, for the time that

the consumer is addicted to the drug may as well rive them into all the criminal activities

including the violence.

In a nutshell its very true that different types of drugs does lead to varied types violence

just as it has been indicated in the previous sections that has provided a conclusive elaboration on

some of the specific drugs and whether they are associated with violence or not and further the

studies that has so far been carried out .

Are there any ways to help people stop taking illegal drugs?
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To solve this questions we need to look at the reasons why people use drugs. Generally,

people take drugs with an aim of changing something related to their lives. Mostly, people take

drugs (especially teenagers) due to peer pressure with an aim of fitting in the society or among

their peers. This is usually illustrated with the slogan “to be cool” among the society. Some

people intentionally take drugs to relax or escape reality. This actually happens in times of

boredom and when teenagers want to show they are growing up. To majority of people who

start to take drugs they think it’s a solution but with time it becomes a problem to them.

Occasionally the consequences of drugs emerge as being more serious than the problem one is

trying to solve. Drugs poison the system of an individual mainly, the mind and interferes with the

latter’s perception of the environment. This results to an individual being irrational, ill-mannered

and even aggressive in nature. Drugs simply block ones sensations, replacing the wanted ones

with the unwanted. This results to wiping off of the ability of an individual to think. This implies

an individual has blank spots in his mind and makes messes in his life which leads to failure in

life and results to drug abuse. The illusion that drugs make one become more creative has

aggravated the situation of drug abuse. It has masked people’s feelings leading to destruction of

their personalities.

People Abuse both illicit and prescribed drugs. Drug abuse cause addiction which affects

anyone despite their background or any financial status. Drugs and substance use does is not only

categorized under homelessness, poor upbringing and mental health issues. Educated people with

large chunks of salaries and those who live wealthy lives are also vulnerable to drug abuse. The

main causes of drug abuse are emotional, physical and psychological. As talked about earlier on
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emotional causes are the ones which influences an individual to fill voids in their life, they may

be traumatic experiences, depression or related to relationships. Physical causes influence an

individual to feel high or be in state of calmness. Psychological causes influence an individual to

enhance themselves and elevate their confidence and self-esteem in order to make meaningless

out of life.

Grieving a loved one proves to be emotionally implicative on people and different people

handle grievances in various ways. Those unable to acquire counselling grieve emotionally use

drugs as consolation. People take break ups differently in relationships. Some of them move on

with life while others take it negatively and this tears their confidence apart and they use drugs as

a way of solving their relationship issues. Mental illness also triggers substance use since there

are different varieties of the latter. Majority of those facing depression turn to either alleviate or

aggravate their anxiety. The environment also influences drug use. Growing up in wallowing

poverty or in a household where we have drug addiction and abuse generates risks of drug use as

it is pictured as being acceptable or a pattern to be followed. Self-medication is common

nowadays and people use drugs not prescribed by the doctor. As an example painkillers are used

to relieve pain but exhibit addictive properties which results to addiction.

Living in a bad economy escalates the situation. People are subjected to financial stress

become desperate hence leading to psychological conditions that lead to use of drugs .Pressures

on careers will also lead people alleviate their stress in their professions and use drugs to cope up

with their work and aggravate their work performances. Financial obligations, raising kids

overwhelm a lot of parents. As a result they develop anxieties and through prescribed pills to
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ease the mental pressure. Frequent use of these pills result to abuse. Curiosity to experiment on

drugs is a major issue contributing to drug use as a result of peer pressure. Rebellion is another

cause of drug use as people with certain personalities especially in teens take drugs since they are

a vice to the society and so they use the drugs with an aim of rebelling. Drugs are also abused to

enhance cognitive functions such as alleviation of fatigue and stimulate athletic performance

and also to change looks (Australian Department of Health). Isolated people in the society are

unconnected to others and are not influential. To solve this emptiness they abuse drugs to give

them a sense of satisfaction. The youth are particularly misinformed about drugs and are also

ignorant about it. Uneducated people fall in the same category and they lack the ability to know

the impacts of drug use. Drugs react differently to different people and so some people do not

have these knowledge and always end up in the abyss. Another issue promoting the drug use is

availability of these drugs in the market. With the modern communications people can order

drugs online and they are delivered at the door step in a click of time. These drugs are also

available in the street nowadays. (journeypure.com/top-reasons-people-use-drugs/)

To prevent people not to take drugs can be done in a number of ways most importantly at

the teenage level. Talking to teenagers by having conversations will enable the collection of

their views on drug abuse and use rather than lecturing them which will cause bad blood.

Spending a lot of time with the teenagers and educating them on the effects and dangers of drugs

instils knowledge and sense of sensibility to them and therefore they are able to resist peer

pressure. Monitoring their activities also plays a key role in knowing a kid’s friends and tracking

their drug prescription. Parents inclusively should lay out rules and their penalties in case the
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child involves him or herself in drug use. Adults should also set a good example to their children

by not taking drugs in their vicinity as these will bar the children from not taking drugs in the

future. Therefore education on effects of drug abuse is vital for making people not engage in

drug use and misuse.

Individuals should also get professional help especially those dealing with depression and

economic difficulties and most importantly mental related problems. Mental sickness is a very

serious issue and people take it for granted. However it can be eliminated through positive

attitude towards other people and also regular check up on friends or people undergoing

difficulties in life (“Duncan MK, ed”. Disorders together with the addiction associate with drug

and substance abuse in: “Dulcan's Textbook of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2nd ed.

Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2016. https://psychiatryonline.org. Accessed

Dec. 27, 2018)”

Research programs based on prevention of drugs use in the society can positively make

people not to take drugs. These programs are designed on basis of evidence and are exhaustively

tested and have produced positive results. These programs have changed the balance of both

threat and shielding factors for drug use in the society.This programs may be universal and

address threat and shielding factors shared to all kids in a community or learning institution.

They can also be selective and are for groups of kids and teenagers having factors that place

them at a risk of drug use. They can also be indicated and are premeditated for the youth already

taking the drugs

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For individuals on drugs, there are various treatments but unfortunately they do not work

for everyone. These treatments include counselling or going to hospital depending on the drugs

used and the level of addiction. People can go cold turkey an option where an individual will halt

using drugs without external help and support. Undergoing counselling and changes in lifestyle

therapy enable one live without the necessity of using drugs. Participating in support groups run

by ex addicts can greatly impact people not to use drugs. Detoxification by drug users helps

their body get rid of drugs from their system.

Rehabilitation of addicts aids in psychological treatment which help addicts deal with

addiction problems and issues caused by them. This also serves as a lesson to the people who are

in a situation of starting to take drugs as they learn from their counter parts in their partners in

the rehabilitation centers. Situations causing drug use should be recognized and measures put in

place to avoid them. The relevant authorities should put in place rules and regulations to combat

drug use. Those found in violation of these issue should be penalized accordingly.

Community should engage in in drug use prevention programs tht are majorly aimed at

cutting down drug use among youths. This is very key in the implementations of prevention

means. The use of strategies associated with the environment has scientifically proved the

decline in both alcohol and drug abuse (Gruenewald, Holder, & Treno, 2003; Holder et al.,

1999; Wagenaar, Murray, & Gehan, 2000).It involves all stakeholders in the targeted

environments to act against drugs availability in the society. Community prevention plans

should aim at encouraging policy makers to contribute to drug us prevention measures. The use
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of media and public campaigns modifies the behavior of people and creates awareness on the

impacts of drug use on people’s health.

Another preventive measure of people not to take drugs is the study of young brains. This

entails the use of imaging technology to study how experiences in childhood such as use of

drugs and their Impact to brain growth socially, academically and health wise. This concept will

lead in knowledge into basis aspects of adolescence which nurtures an individual’s prospect. In

order to preventing people from taking drugs, a lot of effort is needed and each and every

individual should play a role in this for the betterment of the society.

References

Alvarez, A. (2014). Native America and the question of genocide. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman

& Littlefield.
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https://www.netflix.com/watch/80222263?

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Duke, A. A., Smith, K. M., Oberleitner, L., Westphal, A., & McKee, S. A. (2018). Alcohol,

drugs, and violence: A meta-meta-analysis. Psychology of violence, 8(2), 238.

Briggs, D., & Monge Gamero, R. (2017). Dead-end lives: Drugs and violence in the city

shadows. Policy Press.

Trejo, G., & Ley, S. (2020). Votes, Drugs, and Violence: The Political Logic of Criminal Wars

in Mexico. Cambridge University Press.

Collins, A. B., Boyd, J., Damon, W., Czechaczek, S., Krüsi, A., Cooper, H., & McNeil, R.

(2018). Surviving the housing crisis: Social violence and the production of evictions

among women who use drugs in Vancouver, Canada. Health & place, 51, 174-181.

MacKillop J (2016). The Behavioral Economics and Neuroeconomics of Alcohol Use Disorders

Alcohol Clin Exp Res. Apr;40(4):672-85.

Saing, C. H., Prem, K., Uk, P., Chann, N., Chhoun, P., Mun, P., ... & Yi, S. (2020). Prevalence

and social determinants of psychological distress among people who use drugs in

Cambodia. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 14(1), 1-10.

May, T., Holloway, K., Buhociu, M., & Hills, R. (2020). Not what the doctor ordered:

Motivations for nonmedical prescription drug use among people who use illegal

drugs. International Journal of Drug Policy, 82, 102823.

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Aviv, R. (2019). The challenge of going off psychiatric drugs. New Yorker. Retrieved from

https://www. newyorker. com/magazine/2019/04/08/the-challengeof-going-off-psychiatric-drugs.