Introduction
Drug abuse has always been a significant problem that affects people’s health, safety, and values. The legalization of opioid or narcotic substances might lead citizens to social and economic issues, increase the healthcare costs, and cause the demand in higher state financial costs that could be applied for institutions’ improvement. Law enforcement and active police involvement are required to avoid severe consequences and provide a state with solid drug utilization regulation (Lofton, 2019). Considering these factors, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department should apply for a Federally Funded Grant to use the resources for establishing drug distribution elimination forces for the local community.
Drug Dealing Regulation and Financing
Street drug markets are an issue that threatens local neighborhoods’ safety, and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department can solve the problem. Financial support is required for the police to create a surveillance and take-down task force team to gather information on illegal drug distribution. Department awareness about these dark market’s representatives will help the former eliminate the possibility of selling drugs. The dealers will also know that the risk of being caught became critical and not worth the risk. Moreover, obstacles to getting substances will decrease the overdose rate as the victims tend to return to the same dealer (Stelter, 2018). Today the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department lacks officers and tools to apply drug supply elimination strategies, and receiving a Federally Funded Grant is the most viable option.
Why does Drug Legalization Need the Police?
The measures have to be taken urgently because medical drug legalization without proper police-based regulation is harmful to society. Cannabis utilization often progresses into a trial of dangerous narcotics like fentanyl and heroin, and elimination distribution opportunities will decrease the number of crimes and maintain better health rates. The lack of funding into the law enforcement will cost Missouri’s state financing vast expenses related to the choice of illegal markets instead of the state’s medical ones, police investigations, and healthcare providence (Lofton, 2019). Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department is the most effective institution to support medical prescriptions’ monitoring in times of opioid crisis.
The Benefits of Funding
Funding will provide the Department with an opportunity to set multiple measures to eliminate illegal drug markets. The specialized task force would implement tracking technologies safe for a victim to conduct surveillance, manage medical data to detect illegal turnovers, operate quickly and efficiently. Moreover, the investment can be applied to encouragement programs for building a collaboration between the police and the community to enhance social control. Such a partnership of law enforcement power and soft social perseverance is necessary to increase awareness about the problem. The local drug market intervention (DMI) strategy should be well-designed and based on the other states’ successful cases.
Successful DMI Integration: Nashville Example
The described approach has already been practiced in North Carolina and Tennessee cities and proved the framework’s usefulness. The Nashville DMI caused the narcotic offenses rate to drop by 56% during the next 26 months (Braga, Weisburd, & Turchan, 2019). The rate of most serious crimes has also decreased by 4% in the targeted group, 20% in the adjoining area, and 3% in the entire city. Moreover, the DMI implementation increases the citizens’ awareness, thus, social institutions established promotions for fighting against drug abuse and affordable supporting programs for the affected people.
How DMI Could Be Implemented
The DMI established by Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department will include internal upgrades, such as a task force implementation, the appliance of new tools and tracking technologies, and improved investigative strategies. Externally, the program will include social informing, greater support for the victims, and encouragement for citizens to reduce drug dealing issues. The combination of police and community forces is crucial as it eases the program’s integration and speeds up the appearance of beneficial outcomes. Based on the other cities’ examples, such projects contribute to decreased drug dealing, quality of life offenses, and violent crime rates.
Research Against Common Combat Strategies
It is essential to highlight that modern researches does not support drug abuse regulation approaches based on hard power. The current criminal law strategies do not address causes and only work with the outcomes by increasing the imprisonment rate and, consequently, federal costs raise (Hoss, 2020). High incarceration leads to intergenerational trauma that causes the next generation to repeat their parents’ mistakes (Hoss, 2020). Implementation of the DMI program will allow Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department to combat the roots of drug-related crimes, and that approach is financially, socially, and legislatively beneficial for the state.
Conclusion
A special program that requires a task force and surveillance staff can be a great solution to the problems related to the legalization of medical marijuana. Well-defined and comprehensive approaches to combat the local drug distribution are effective, and they require significant funding and workforce, including the community’s involvement. If the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department receives a Federally Funded Grant, the drug market intervention strategy will be established to help the police provide safety by decreasing local crime rates.
References
Braga, A. A., Weisburd, D., & Turchan, B. (2019). Focused deterrence strategies effects on crime: A systematic review. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 15(3), 1-65. Web.
Hoss, A. (2020). Decriminalization as substance use disorder prevention. University of Toledo Law Review, 51(3), 477–490.
Lofton, J. (2019). Law enforcement problems associated with medical marijuana legalization: A Missouri perspective. Missouri Medicine, 116(4), 265–269.
Stelter, L. (2018). Three surveillance tactics to find and stop opioid dealers. Police1. Web.