Substance Abuse Costs Tax Payers Essay - 2548 Words

President Richard Nixon coined the phrase the â€Å"war on drugs† in the 1970s after he and Congress introduced a campaign to reduce the rapidly increasing consumption, production, and distribution of psychoactive drugs, which were already deemed illegal. In the years since, many policies and laws have been created in the United States from mandatory minimum sentences to drug courts. The organization, Learn Liberty, recently put out a YouTube video pointing out that every 2016 presidential nominee has spoken about the current drug epidemic. As pointed out in the video, not all candidates agree on the method of solving the issue, yet they all agree it’s a massive issue. Substance abuse costs tax payers’ enormous amounts of money because rather than treating the problem, substance abusers are arrested and put into prisons where they are not taught strategies to help with their addiction and the realities of their disease. The â€Å"war on Drugs† has officially been lost and it’s time to look at decriminalizing drugs and treating it as an illness. While some argue the complete decriminalization of drugs with no legal consequences, others support decriminalization with legal consequences such as drug courts and citations that would be similar to a traffic ticket. Due to the massive social ramifications of substance abuse I would side with the latter position of drug courts and citations. Drug courts can demand treatment and keep addicts accountable for their actions. This puts theShow MoreRelatedDrug Testing Welfare Recipients Essay1114 Words   |  5 Pagesbeing abused by a parent. In another study from the Substance Abuse Policy Research Program (SAPRP), drug use and dependency is more commonly found among women who receive welfare assistance then women who do not. Taking these two studies in to consideration, the nation’s largest problem when concerning the welfare system is the children. Children often have a difficult time at school or with peers, but to add on the additional stress of a substance abusing parent (see appendix B), makes lasting effectsRead MoreDrug Testing Welfare Recipients1395 Words   |  6 Pagesdrugs had prior illegal drug abuse problems and some of these people believe that since they are given this â€Å"free† money, they can continue on with these addictions instead of finding the help they need to get back onto their own two feet. Many employers ask all of their job applicants for a drug test to even be considered for the job, so why shouldn’t the government ask the same for people looking for assistance? There are many kinds of substances that people abuse. Alcohol many people use as aRead MoreDrug Testing Should Not Be Drug Tested1229 Words   |  5 Pagesis spent is very concerning to some people. I believe that anyone applying for and or receiving government aid should have to be drug tested. The use of drug testing to determine aid eligibility would help with the diagnoses and prevention of drug abuse, ensure government aid is reaching those with the greatest need and help strengthen the taxpayer’s confidence in the systems effectiveness. One of the more controversial topics recently being debated by the government is whether or not, anyone applyingRead MoreThe War on Drugs Essay1124 Words   |  5 Pagesmedical treatment to prisoners. The state’s financial burden in becoming great and the government is starting to look at treatment measures that could save money. Substance abuse is an overwhelming factor in crime, for example 50% of homicides involve drugs and alcohol. (Parks, G., Marlatt, A. 1999) Treating offenders for substance problems could make the difference in recidivism rates. There are several models of programs the state should consider when deciding treatment options for offendersRead MoreWelfare Drug Testing1506 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"According to a new study released by the World Health Organization, the U.S leads the world and takes the gold for the use of tobacco, pot, and cocaine, far outpacing other countries†(US Ranks #1). According to an article on alternet.org America abuses drugs worse than any other country. It is no secret that the United States’ economy is nearing an all time low. With the economy being nearly as bad as ever in the history of our country it is very concerning that our drug use is at an all time highRead MoreDrug Abuse And The United States1645 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"America’s public enemy number one in the United States is drug abuse. In order to fight and defea t this enemy, it is necessary to wage a new, all out offensive† (Sharp, 1994). Since this war was declared 45 years ago the prison population has risen dramatically and has cost tax payers a substantial amount of money, with no end in sight. Nearly sixty five percent of the 2.3 million U.S. prisoners meet the criteria for substance abuse or addiction, yet only eleven percent receives treatment duringRead MoreShould Legalization Of Recreational Drugs Be A Great Nation?977 Words   |  4 Pagesa big brother, across the world by fighting its external wars. However, what needs to be fixed first, is the long lasting internal war within. External wars need lots of money, manpower, weapons, etc., just to achieve a lifelong of enmity at the cost of civilization. Innocent people are always the major sufferers in any war. Now is the time, that we start fighting our internal war, then raging externally. Increase in jobs, hike in minimum wages, distribution of wealth, halting the di sappearanceRead MoreThe And Its Effects On The United States955 Words   |  4 Pagesfacts are stated concerning the financial benefits of choosing substance abuse treatment versus Prison and jail sentences. For instance the methadone program costs approximately $4700 a year, where as 1 year of incarceration runs the tax payers $18,700. Its also stated that for every $1 spent on treatment some where between $4-$7 is saved on court costs and drug related crime. California passed a measure that provides substance abuse treatment instead of incarceration for offenders that committedRead MoreDrug Testing and Public Assistance1299 Words   |  5 Pagesthe National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH), the use and abuse of alcohol, and other illicit drugs cost the nation about $600 billion annually. These costs are associated with various crimes, lost work, and healthcare. Subsequently, the US Department of Human and Health Services states that in 2012, approximately 23.1 million persons were treated for illicit drugs and other substances. Statistics have shown that 23.9 million Americans have had or used illicit substances in 2012. This is about an 8.3Read MoreThe Four Pillars Of Public Administration767 Words   |  4 Pagespractice of public service implementation. The first of the four pillars is Economy; economy is getting the most done for the tax payers’ dollar. This means officials must manage resources to give the resources needed, but at the lowest cost possible. For example, adequately funding organizational priorities on limited budgets, maintaining credit ratings or limiting tax levy increases, these are all examples of actions done in the pillar of economy. Along with the economy pillar, we have our closely