Consciousness
Drugs and substance abuse, trafficking and other related crimes have of late turned out to be one of the most serious problems that most societies and governments are facing. In almost every country measures and controls have been put in place, though they have not been totally effective. But of late, better methods have been devised that bring in the combination of different measures, such as treatment, prevention and enforcement of the already existing substance controls.. A pertinent example would be a drug such as cannabis. This drug is usually ingested to the lungs by smoking it in different ways or being eaten in cooked food.
Cooked ingestion takes effect in a very short time as absorption to the blood stream is catalyzed. The cannabinoids in the brain control much of the person’s body activities like perception, coordination, appetite, concentration among others. The risks posed by abuse of cannabis are more than the benefits. For example; Acute somatic effects like a rise in the rate of heart beat, cerebral blood flow, dilation of blod vessels that cause eye redness and pupil enlargement. Dry mouth sensation causes the appetite to increase resulting in a craving for food.
The benefits are only known to the user who claim to feel ‘so high’ to the helm of their excitement.The best policy the government should put in place is one that has more of protective measures than curative though necessary as well. The policy should be one that relates to drug abuse prevention as emphasized by law. Drug court programs are the most effective in dealing with such individuals. This is because they embody their continuous accountability of prevention, treatment and law enforcement. Expansion research should be emphasized in drug abuse prevention to identify important elements for a successful program.
This includes identifying risks and protective factors that may be necessary. Victim treatment and application of criminal justice are among some of the measures that can have a significant influence in combating drug abuse. The most promising strategies to reduce vvarious types of substance abuse should be community-identified. The cost involved in this policy is quite low because the community members may volunteer to fight against one of the vices affecting them. This is because it is in the society that drug abuse begins, and it is the only place its spread can be checked.
The advantage with these strategies is that fewer expenses are incurred due to community involvement. Awareness campaigns should be launched at the government’s cost at regular intervals. People need to be reminded of the effects of these drugs to the individual, society and the world at large. Though the cost of these campaigns may be high, they have far reaching effects in public education.The government should also employ demand reduction measures such as prohibition and fining of all drugs related offences.
This can be one that may produce the best result as it acts a deterrent measure to the would-be abusers. It may sound as if it’s a costly measure but the revenue generated from these fines may exceed the social externalities produced by drug abuse.
