Introduction
Drug abuse is and has been an uphill battle for most governments around the country. The effects range from drunk driving, teenage consumption of alcohol and disease related to substance abuse. The sad part is that Alcohol has the highest casualties in the United States as it is regulated but yet people opt for excessive consumption or binge drinking. The deaths are not only from the intoxication of liver failure but also motor vehicle accidents and homicides. Some of these prescription drugs such as marihuana are known for healing diseases, but if consumed without the correct prescription it can lead to catastrophic health issues.
Thompson argues that the United States was regulating alcohol it led to people buying cheap alcohol from the black market, which is more harmful than cannabis, which not regulated. Regulation
...s such as the minimum age of drinking were established, labeling of alcohol content so as the drinkers are aware of the amount they are consuming and restrictions on marketing activities. Marihuana is the most misused drug in the United States. In the 1900s Marihuana was a key ingredient in the economy and its prohibition by politicians was for economic and anti-immigrant reasons. Cannabis was imported from Mexico into the United States, which made it hard for the small farmers in the United States as larger corporations were using the Mexican cannabis with low prices and labor. It led to the creation of several laws that made cannabis and Chines opium illegal. According to act in 1970, The Congress passed Comprehensive Drug Abuse and Control Act, which classified marihuana and heroin in the same category. In my opinion, these two drugs are very
different since marihuana has medical benefits and heroin does not. (Thompson, 2014).
Community with a population whereby a large percentage are involved in drug-related crimes and some are rotting in prison then the taxpayer money is surely being spent for all the wrong reasons. Money has to be spent on drug enforcement and keeping the rest of the community safe while the other hand families are hurting, children are homeless, life is overturned and jobs lost. Drugs are now cheaper and accessible; age is no longer an issue as children are raised by parents with a drug addiction and can access these drugs. Even when prices go high, drug users are not affected as they will find a way to buy these drugs. The irony of alcohol prohibition is that when one termed something illegal there always will be some violent gang fighting for it. No one is fighting for the education of better health and no, you will not find students fighting over who gets the best score in the class, but yet we still have to worry about gangs fighting to mark territories on their illegal drugs and products. (Thompson, 2014).
In the first few years of drug liberalization, the use of drugs by teenagers dropped and drug-related deaths subsidized and so did HIV infection among drug users. People became more responsible and started seeking treatment. But jurisdictions that treat drug use as a public health problem and not a criminal problem have benefited higher drug rates and lower public health care costs. Strict measures such as the ones used in Singapore between 1991 and 2004, whereby 400 people were hanged for drug possession, helped
cut down drug use in Singapore. As much as hanging is an extreme measure it led to saving of children who might have been influenced by these drug addicts and sellers. (Thompson, 2014).
There are politicians who are willing to come forward and confront the conventional wisdom on drug enforcement but sadly their reasons are political, economical or psychological. The more sensible thing to do is to the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Act with liberalized drug policy which will ensure tobacco and alcohols are regulated the same way. This will lead to less money spent on healthcare; more federal money earned through state tax and instead of prosecution money, people will be using the same money to education and rehabilitation. But the truth is illegal drug market has been found to be more profitable than any other market, and if all drugs were regulated from the beginning, then we couldn’t be battling drug cartels or gang fights for territories. (Thompson, 2014).
In my opinion prescription drug and drug abuse go hand in hand. For example, in Saudi people have access to drug and can quickly consume them without a doctor’s prescription leading to complications. As much the prescription drugs may not have the same effects as other drugs they all lead to one disastrous end; complications, death, addiction and street fights. As the demand for prescription drugs increase, so does the rate of dependency among its users. Singapore’s argument for hanging drug traffickers is against human rights as everyone has the right to live. I strongly question anyone who has to take a life of another person and I’m still not sure if killing a drug trafficker will
reduce drug trafficking because more dealers will come up.
According to an article by an editorial group against substance abuse the death penalty for drug offenses has been abolished in over 135 nations by 2007, but 63 countries still retained this law although only 24 countries. China and Iran were leading executions in 2007. In Iran the victims are buried to the waist, they stoned to death which is inhumane. Drug trafficking is perceived as an act of corrupting youths of nations while the perpetrators get profitable as they ruin the future on a nation. At the same time, drug dealers kill their victims and bosses as well as shoot at police officers without much of care. Which still begs the question of whether these traffickers who kill innocent people deserve a second chance at life. Take for instance a case whereby a child aged ten years is caught by a stray bullet between violent gangs and the police, does the shooter(gang) deserve not to be hanged? Why not? An innocent child just lost his life because of a drug trafficker and yet the death penalty seems extreme. This is where the moral aspect of life has to be applied as an eye for an eye is not according to any moral teachings. (Edwards, Babor, Darke, Hall & Marsden, 2011).
Another argument is that if taking one life saves many, then the death penalty should remain hence it prevents other drug dealers in entering the business. At the same time, an opposing opinion can be that those who are executed are the small ponies while the masterminds go untouched and go unprosecuted. Corruption is another issue that
may go untouched especially in a country like Afghanistan where opium farmers will pay tax to the police then another informal 10% so that authorities never bother them. The editorial is also intent to show how corrupt law enforcement officers are contributing to drug trafficking and addiction.
The writer also goes on to argue that judicial killings are inhumane and against the human rights. And here I find myself asking, what about the innocent kids and youths who die from the same drug overdose trafficked by the same drug dealers whom we want to spare? Don’t these kids have human rights too? On the other hand, capital punishment may serve the small-time criminals if the offense is not serious or they be given immunity. The writer also encourages addiction scientists to speak out as each nation has different norms, politics, and economy. (Edwards, Babor, Darke, Hall & Marsden, 2011).
According to an article by Barrocas and other writers, parental addiction can cause a massive amount of harm to children. Drug addiction for parents can contribute to the traumatic experiences that children have to undergo. The author of this article goes on to suggest a psychodynamic approach to help in parenting and drug addicted parents. Some of the effects for these children include high risk of having the same addiction to drugs as they grow up and reach adulthood. They also experience financial problems resulting to illegal misconduct due to consumption of drugs. (Barrocas, Vieira-Santos & Paixão, 2016).
The physical risks include the loss of awareness due to drug abuse and absence of parental support or supervision. Social risks include chaotic lifestyles leading to unemployment, domestic violence leading to
separation and broken families. With separated parents the child no longer feels a connection or obligation to either parent, therefore, he or she ends up acting out through substance abuse. Psychological risks include paranoia hence difficult to maintain any relationship and emotional control issues. Pregnant women with drug addiction problem are at high risk of giving birth to babies with defects then abandoning them. Prenatal exposure of a child shows that the parent is putting her needs first before the child’s health which is not right. Children born with disabilities become a challenge especially for parents whose main focus is on substance abuse.
The article goes on to explain that parents who decide to get clean give their children as the reason to why they want to be sober. Some parents come up with protective strategies to shield their children from exposure and damage of drug addiction through letting children live with relatives. But this is never a permanent solution and these children may need a chance to get to know their parents, and if the parents are addicts, then the child is not as shielded as the parents want. Children with fathers who are addicts are more likely to be disorderly and have a carefree attitude towards life as well as abuse drugs. (Barrocas, Vieira-Santos & Paixão, 2016).
Drug abuse is not contributed by one factor, and that’s why it is important to consider all factors before treating an addict. Stress from work or family is a key factor that leads to drug addiction. Family closeness plays a vital role for an addict and his or her journey to rehabilitation. Just like gambling, substance abuse can
be a nightmare within the family and emotional disorders are also contributors to addiction. Family relation to drugs contributes to whether one becomes an addict or not. Pressure from an employer can lead to drug abuse as a way of reducing stress in the body. As a result, one becomes a frequent user of a certain drugs or substance which is a clear pattern of an addict.
Mentalization is how individuals interpret their actions, feelings, and desires. It can be explicit or implicit. A person with reduced ability to mentalize any form of emotion has a strong reflex circuit which is caused by emotional activation leading to substance abuse and negative feelings, thoughts and emotions. The inability to mentalize emotion leads to miscommunication, misinterpretations and frustrations which create a gap between the addict and his or her close ones. When a parent’s mind is occupied with substance abuse, the relationship with his or her child is not there as the emotional availability of the parent is lacking. Emotion is an important part of anyone who wants to make a connection with another person. Lack of emotion results to misinterpretation as one does not know or understand how to react to certain situations. (Barrocas, Vieira-Santos & Paixão, 2016).
The authors suggest ways in which the parenting process can be differentiated. The dimensions mentioned are parental exercise and parental practice. Parental exercise is the feeling of obligation towards granting your child a better deserving life. Parental practice is the day to day responsibilities performed by the parent, quality of parenting and the parent to child relations. From the moment, a child is conceived parents should prepare for the responsibility
to come and plan on the role of giving to the child. Drug addicted parents who loose babies during birth or give birth to babies with defects opt to engage more in drugs so as to forget the loss. As a result parenting conflicts and separation. (Barrocas, Vieira-Santos & Paixão, 2016).
In my opinion drug abuse is something that one should be able to accept and be ready to accept help from other people such as family and friends. Lack of family or support from friends is what leads to things falling apart for parents and broken marriages. Going to other support groups where one is free to express his or her feeling can profoundly help and contribute one having a good relationship with his or her child and people close to them.
The three articles tackle drug abuse, ways to prevent drug addiction especially for parents and the death penalty for drug traffickers. They all focus on the consequences that result from drug addiction and prescription drugs abuse which is the key cause of deaths in most countries. Preventing and regulating the use of drugs like marihuana, alcohol and cannabis will reduce the fights between cartels as it will be a free market for all to trade and sell products. Addiction is not only caused by one factor, but rather by an accumulation of many causes such as stress, family alienation and lack of support from parents. The death penalty is only a shortcut to solving the real problem, and that is why the small suppliers should be used to apprehend the real criminals and suppliers of illegal drugs.
The biggest similarity between Thompson’s article and this
editorial is that both articles talk about Singapore and its death penalty law to anyone found in possession of heroin, cocaine or cannabis of a certain percentage. Thompson argues that the death penalty can lead to saving lives by scaring other drug traffickers into hiding. At the end of it, these traffickers will gain enough courage to come out and still deal with the same drug distribution business. Barrocas’ article, on the other hand, concentrates more on parental addiction which comes as a result of overuse of prescription drugs or easy access to drugs on the street. ( Barrocas, Vieira-Santos & Paixão, 2016).
If these drug traffickers are caught and hanged, the source of these drugs will never be identified which will increase the number of parental addictions. Once parental addiction is on a rise, then it means more children will not have a relationship with their parents and, as a result, resolve in engaging in the unruly behaviour. Therefore, I highly suggest that the drug traffickers who are caught should be used as bait to capture their bosses who are the primary distributors. The editorial piece is against the death penalty as life is considered a right to everybody, drug trafficker or not. Baroccas and Thompson’s articles are contradictory as Baroccas believes in mentalization and helping parents who are addicted to recover through family support. Mentalization helps addicts to have the ability to process emotions in a more positive way. Thompson’s argument is that drug traffickers should have a death penalty.
All three articles are clear on the value of life, but what about the victims who die as a result of the drugs sold to
them, or children who are caught in the line of fire? Humans do not have the power to take a life, but these criminals do not have any emotion to mentalize and see the value of human life. These drug suppliers may have undergone through a troubled childhood and, as a result, started to fend for themselves. Most of them were brought up by parents with addictions, and they followed in the direction of their parents. As a result it leaves the rest of the community broken and suffering from the mistakes of one parent who could have had help from his or her family during addiction. Baroccas’s article is helpful in making people understand that family relationship is important especially when one is going through an addiction.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the main areas of review in all the three articles is their focus on drug and substance abuse and ways in which these drugs have highly contributed to loss of life, breakage of marriages and created a gap of loneliness between families. If parents become addicts, then their child will lack the moral and emotional support they need, and when this happens, the children look for ways to distract themselves. These innocent idle minds are then caught up in drug and drug trafficking and prescription drugs abuse which can be controlled through parental support. Parental addictions can be controlled with sufficient family support.
References
- Barrocas, J., Vieira-Santos, S., & Paixão, R. (2016). Parenting and drug addiction: A psychodynamic proposal based on a multifactorial perspective. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 33(1), 161-178.
- Edwards, G., Babor, T., Darke, S., Hall, W., & Marsden, J. (2011). Drug Trafficking: Time To Abolish The Death
Penalty.
