Introduction
This paper aims to look at one group of drugs that have been hotly debated in the US: the psychoactive substances/drugs. The US government has in the past three decades been conducting a ‘war on drugs’ campaign. The war on drugs has been a campaign to define and reduce the illegal drug trade. Illegal drugs are those drugs that are consumed without the prescription of a medical practitioner. They are consumed for pleasure, so as to derive some sort of pleasure. The war on drugs initiative include policies by the US to discour5age the production, distribution and consumption of illegal psychoactive drugs
The government has particularly focused on stopping the sale and importation of certain psychoactive drugs. While majority of the citizens condemn the use of psychoactive substances others condone it. The confusion arose due to the confusing definitions of the term ‘drug’.
Discussion
A drug, generally speaking can be described as any substance that alter the normal functioning of the body when absorbed in the body of any living organism. A drug can therefore be any chemical substance that is taken in by any living organism to act as treatment, to cure or prevent a disease. Drugs can also be medically used to diagnose a disease as well as enhance the physical and mental functioning of an individual.
Some drugs are however used for recreational purposes; such recreational drugs affect the central nervous system. Individuals using recreational drugs such as hallucinogens do so as to achieve the beneficial effects on perception, behavior and personality among many other effects. Such effects are usually short lived and only last as long as the recreational drug is still in the system of the individual. Unlike medicinal drugs which are consumed for duration specified by the doctor, recreational drugs cause addiction due to over use in search of the effects that come with the use of the drug (Myers, 2008).
The best definition for a drug is a substance that alters in one or another bodily and normal functioning of the user. The drug may be prescribed by a medical practitioner or it may be for recreational purposes.
In the US the Federal Food, drug and cosmetic Act defines the drug as any “articles intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease in man or other animals,” It further defines the drug as “articles other than food that is consumed with the intention to affect the structure or any function of the body of an or animal” (Federal Food, Drug and cosmetic Act. 2010).
Psychoactive drugs on the other hand refer to chemical substances that affect the functioning of the brain making an individual exhibit change in behavior, consciousness and the mood. Psychoactive drugs have been a cause of debate in the US due to the fact that the drug can be used therapeutically to treat physical and psychological disorders. For recreational purposes psychoactive drugs can be used to alter perceptions, mood and consciousness. Most of the psychoactive drugs are addictive. Addiction is the physical and psychological dependence on psychoactive drugs. These drugs temporarily alter the functions of the brain (Myers, 2008).
Some of the psychoactive drugs include depressants. These are drugs that inhibit the function of the central nervous system. Depressants are the most widely used of the drugs and include alcohol, barbiturates and benzodiazepines.
Stimulants are another class of psychoactive drugs; they function by increasing the activity in the brain. They alter a user’s alertness, awareness and the mood. Stimulants have the risk factor that they are addictive. Some stimulants such as cocaine are illegal while others such as caffeine and nicotine are not considered illegal (Duke, & Cross, 2001).
Another class of psychoactive drugs is the psychedelic drugs. Psychedelic drugs are also known as hallucinogens and they function through the alteration and distortion of the users thinking, perception and mood. Most of psychedelic drugs are illegal and include drugs such as marijuana, LSD, psilocybin and mescaline (Myers, 2008).
The controversy over the use of psychoactive drug arises due to the fact that these drugs can be effectively used for medicative purposes. In hospitals they can be used as general anesthetics to block or prevent pain. Most anesthetics make the patients unconscious such that he/she can not feel the pain and also does not encounter emotional trauma of undergoing surgery while he/she is awake. Halothane and ketamine are good examples of psychoactive drugs that are used as anesthetics. Halothane is inhaled while ketamine is injected in the body (Alters, & Schiff, 2010).
Psychoactive drugs can also be medically prescribed to minimize pain. Drugs such as morphine and codeine though pain relievers can be addictive and it is advisable to use them only when they is need to. Other drugs such as ibuprofen and aspirin are psychoactive and reduce inflammations (Alters, & Schiff, 2010).
Psychoactive drugs can also be used for psychiatric medication for the management of mental and emotional disorders. Some of the psychiatric medications include anti depressants, stimulants, antipsychotic, depressants and mood stabilizers.
An improved definition of the term drug should include that the drug to be legal it has to be consumed for medical purposes and as a result the drug should be prescribed by the doctors or any other qualified practitioner. The revised definition will improve human health as it will make people more knowledgeable and aware of the drugs that they should take. It will also enlighten for example the youth to learn that the drugs they for example peddle on the streets and those that they consume for pleasure are illegal. This might seem like a long short but the end result is that some of the youth might stop consuming and selling the illegal drug (Duke, & Cross, 2001).
The US government war on drugs is justified because misuse of drugs among the youths of the US has increased tremendously over the years. This is because youths and school going children have been involved in the peddling of drugs and as a result the drugs have gained entry into schools. Any drug that is legal must be prescribed by a qualified medical practitioner. This means that any drug that is not prescribed by a medical practitioner must be declared illegal. An illegal drug tends to be addictive due to the continuous use while a drug that is legal is not addictive due to the specified duration of consumption and the stated dosage. People arrested illegally selling drugs or consuming drugs should be arrested and incarcerated. In 1994, it was reported that the war on drugs resulted to the incarceration of more than a million Americans on drug related crimes only (Duke, & Cross, 2001).
Conclusion
The war on drugs will not stop any time soon. This is because more people are consuming the psychoactive drug for pleasurable purposes and as a result they end up being addicted to the drug. The US government should uphold its policy on the war on drugs. The war on drugs should be upheld, illegal use of drugs causes addiction which in turn results to the use of large sums of money for rehabilitating the addicted individual. Addiction also causes the individual to be prone to diseases and also engage in criminal activities so as to get the means to buy more illegal psychoactive drugs.
Reference:
Federal Food, Drug and cosmetic Act. (2010). http://www.fda.gov/RegulatoryInformation/Legislation/FederalFoodDrugandCosmeticActFDCAct/default.htmretrieved on 12th April 2011
Duke, S. & Cross, A. (2001). America’s Longest War: Rethinking Our Tragic Crusade against Drugs. E-reads/E-rights
Myers, D. (2008). Psychology. Worth Publishers
Thoumi, F. (2003). Illegal drugs, economy and society in the Andes. Woodrow Wilson Center Press
Alters, S. &Schiff, W. (2010). Essential Concepts for Healthy Living. Jones & Bartlett Learning
