United States Drug Policy Education vs.

Incarceration
The drug control policy of the United States has always been a subject of debate. From
Prohibition in the early 1930s to the current debate over the legalization of marijuana, drugs
have always been near the top of the governments agenda. Drug use affects every part of our
society. It strains our economy, our healthcare, our criminal justice systems, and it endangers the
futures of young people. In order to support a public health approach to drug control, the Obama
administration has committed over $10 billion to drug education programs and support for
expanding access to drug treatment for addicts (Office). The United States should commit
more government resources to protect against illegal use of drugs by youths and provide help for
recovering addicts. Many government-administered drug treatment programs are not extensive
enough to rehabilitate drug addicts. More long-term drug treatment programs are needed, as
these programs have been shown to be the most effective in helping addicts kick their habit
permanently.
The current implementation of drug control in the United States is imperfect and
inadequate. The governments strategy has been to arrest and incarcerate nonviolent drug users.
In 2011, $450 billion was spent to lock up drug users in federal prisons. Millions of men and
women, both young and old, are affected by illicit drug use. Drug use and its consequences cost
the United States about $6,123 every second (Office). Moreover, 90 percent of all adults with a
substance abuse disorder started using under the age of 18 and half were under the age of 15.
Children who first smoked marijuana under the age of 14 are five times more likely to abuse
drugs as adults than those who first use marijuana at age 18. Finally, the children of alcoholics
are four times more likely to develop problems with alcohol (Prevent).

There is evidence that drug use has declined over the past thirty years due to the many
restrictions and punishments that have been implemented. In 1966, Congress passed the Narcotic
Addict Rehabilitation Act also known as the NARA. This legislation called for addicts charged
with federal crimes to be civilly committed rather than face prosecution and it allowed the court
to mandate a treatment program in lieu of prison. The Drug Enforcement Administration was
established on July 1, 1973 to replace the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. The goal of
the DEA was to create a single federal agency to enforce the federal drug laws as well as
consolidate and coordinate the governments drug activities (Manchikanti). The White House
Office of National Drug Control Policy, a former cabinet level component of the Executive
Office of the President of the United States, was established in 1989 by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act
of 1988. Its stated goal is to establish policies, priorities, and objectives to eradicate illicit drug
use, manufacturing, and trafficking, drug-related crime and violence, and drug-related health
consequences in the United States (Office). The current legislation that deals with the United
States drug control policy is the Controlled Substances Act, which regulates the manufacture,
importation, possession, use, and distribution of certain substances (Shannon).
Interest groups have also attempted to spread the word about the problems associated
with illegal drug use. The Partnership at Drugfree.org states the abuse of alcohol and other drugs,
including prescription drugs, is common and costly. It can cause medical problems and if left
untreated can destroy families and lives (Prevent). The problem of drugs has been elevated to a
national crusade by leaders such as Ronald Reagan who said, In this crusade, let us not forget
who we are. Drug abuse is a repudiation of everything America is. The destructiveness and
human wreckage mock our heritage (Shannon). Despite the valiant efforts by the government
and interest groups, drug abuse is still a major problem in our society.

A solution that has been previously attempted by law enforcement officials has been to
crack down on drug use and levy heavy punishments on drug dealers. However, this solution has
been proven to have little effectiveness because drug addicts end up in prison when they should
be treated in a rehabilitation center (Wyler). The alternative to these previous solutions would be
to commit more government resources to heavily educate about drug use, promote and provide
safer activities, and treat former addicts. Most previous attempts have failed as is demonstrated
by the fact that drug use in the United States is currently at an all-time high. A record 8.7 percent
of all Americans have used an illicit drug in the past month (Martin). Thats 26.7 million people!
The United States government spent about $26.2 billion to reduce drug use and its consequences
in the United States. It is becoming increasingly difficult to monitor drug trafficking because
some illegal drugs can be manufactured in households (The Effective). In order to effectively
reduce illegal drug use among Americans, the government must implement an effective program
that educates about drug use, promotes and provides safer activities, and treats former addicts.
I believe the United States needs to commit more resources to protect against the use of
illegal drugs by young people and provide help for recovering addicts. According to the National
Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in New York, prescription
drugs continue to be as easy to buy over the Internet as candy, and anyone, including children,
can readily obtain highly addictive controlled substances from Internet drug pushers, as long as a
person has a credit card (Manchikanti). My solution would involve a program set up by the
federal government that would educate and provide safe activities for youths. Currently, young
people rely on the community to provide education about drug use as well as safe alternatives
such as sports. Unfortunately, in many neighborhoods youths do not have a structured life so
they resort to drugs. In my program, all students would be required to participate in an activity

outside of school where they would also receive preventive education about drug use. I believe
that our public school system does a great job in teaching about the dangers of drug use in the
elementary grades. But as children transition to middle school and then to high school, the drug
education and prevention programs become fewer. It seems that at just the time when students
need continuing reinforcement of the drug education message, they are getting it less and less. If
we tied all middle school and high school sports programs to drug education programs, we could
capture young peoples attention and interest.
I would also propose a program to help recovering addicts sober up. Putting an addict in a
jail cell does nothing for them. Nearly 75 percent go back to using drugs when they are released
(Manchikanti). My solution would require all addicts to enter a federal rehabilitation center,
which would decrease the likelihood that a recovering addict would go back to drugs after they
are released. If the recovering addict committed a crime that requires jail time, part of the
sentence would be carried out in a federal rehabilitation center.
Taxpayers will be affected by this solution because the United States government will
need to raise more money to educate and prevent drug use. The executive branch will carry out
this solution to make sure everything goes the way it should. The Drug Enforcement Agency, a
line agency in the executive branch, will enforce the solution but they will receive fewer funds
because the focus will be on prevention through education rather than cracking down on drug
dealers. The source of funding will be the taxpayers and any private organizations that wish to
donate. This solution should go into effect in 2013; however it would most likely take longer due
to the extensive criticism and review a bill faces before coming a law. The benefits of
committing more resources to protect against illegal drug use among youths and providing help
for addicts would hopefully be decreased use of drugs in the American society which would

improve our economy, our healthcare system, our criminal justice systems, and the futures of
young people. The Partnership at DrugFree.org and Common Sense for Drug Policy are two
interest groups that would also be in favor of the proposed solution.
Drug education and prevention programs are costly, and it can be argued that they dont
work as they are structured now. Why continue to support programs that many say dont work?
When Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was asked that question,
she replied This is something that is worth fighting for because drug addiction is about fighting
for somebodys life, a young childs life, a teenagers life, their ability to be a successful and
productive adult. If you think about it in those terms, that we are fighting for lives, you realize
that the stakes are too high to let go (Hawkins).
In the future, the government should take a pro-active approach on illegal drug use.
More outreach programs on drug education and prevention need to be implemented in our
schools. More money should be directed towards drug rehabilitation programs instead of being
used on incarcerating drug criminals. Education is the key, starting at a young age and being
continually reinforced in middle and high school. If all citizens recognize the importance of drug
education and commit to the financial resources needed, our drug policy would be one of
education and help instead of punishment and incarceration.

Works Cited
The Effective National Drug Control Strategy 1999. Common Sense for Drug Policy. Common
Sense for Drug Policy, 2011. Web. 18 Dec. 2011. <http://www.csdp.org/cms/>.

Hawkins, David J., Richard F. Catalano, and Janet Y. Miller. "Risk and Protective Factors for
Alcohol and Other Drug Problems in Adolescence and Early Adulthood: Implications for
Substance Abuse Prevention." American Psychological Association 112 (1992): 64-105.
Print.
Manchikanti, Laxmaiah. National Drug Control Policy and Prescription Drug Abuse: Facts and
Fallacies. Pain Physician Journal 10 (May 2011): 399-424. Print.
Martin, Tim. Survey: More US teens using pot while fewer see it as great risk; teen alcohol
use declines. The Washington Post. N.p., 14 Dec. 2011. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/>.
Office of National Drug Control Policy. The White House. USA, 1 Dec. 2011. Web. 18 Oct.
2012. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp>.
Prevent. The Partnership at Drugfree.org. The Partnership at Drugfree.org, 2011. Web. 18 Oct.
2012. <http://www.drugfree.org/prevent>.
Shannon, Elaine. The War on Drugs: A Losing Battle. Time.com. Time Magazine, 3 Dec. 2010.
Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://www.time.com/>.
Wyler, Liana. International Drug Control Policy. CRS Report for Congress (June 2008): 2-46.
Print.