Drugs have been used for a long time because of their Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic properties. They are classified depending on the mode of action and the response induced in the body. Most drugs, especially those that affect the Central nervous system are considered illegal. Thus, the usage and distribution of such drugs have been pushed underground and thereby creating a lucrative business for criminal gangs. Questions have arisen regarding the issue of drugs and some analysts claim that criminalizing drugs has not deterred people from using them. And that it’s only by tackling the underlying social issues that will reduce the drug menace. This quantitative research paper seeks to establish first-hand information on whether drugs should be a health/social issue or a legal/criminal issue.
Hypothesis
Fewer drugs get used where they are a health/social issue. More drugs get used where they are a legal/criminal issue.
Study area
The study will be carried out at the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa. The city has a high number of intravenous drug addicts. There is a rehabilitation center and various hospitals where the subjects and data to be used in the study can be found.
Research design
The study will be quantitative research where measures will be taken without any alteration; an observational study where the subjects will voluntarily give information on their indulgence in drugs. It will be both retrospective and prospective in which data will be inferred from records at the rehabilitation center and also from interviews with drug abusers. Information from the drug users will be obtained through interviews.
In order to get information from the participants the following questions will be asked: What drug(s) do you use? How do you get them? How often do you use the drugs? How do you feel after taking the drugs? Why do you use the drugs? Are the drugs legal or illegal?
Systematic random sampling will be used to obtain a representative sample from the various hot spots of drug abusers in the city, hospitals and the rehabilitation centre. Inclusion or exclusion will be based on the subject’s willingness to participate. Confidentiality of personal information given by the participants will be highly upheld.
For the sample size to be representative of the target population, the following statistical formula will be employed:
- n = t2xP (1-P)
m2 Where n=required sample. t=confidence level at 95% (standard value of 1.96). P= estimated % of drug usage. m= margin of error at 5% (standard value of 0.05)
- P=5%, therefore n= 73.
Research variables
The dependent variable of the study is usage of at least one drug which can be legal or illegal. The independent variables of the study are; the particular drug used, extend of usage, age, gender and how the law defines it (illegal or legal). These variables will be measured and their relationships established.
Discussion
The data obtained will be analyzed to determine the usage of drugs in situations that can be regarded as illegal in comparison to legal ones. The study is expected to show that drugs usage is a social/health activity which due to underlying social and health factors. Criminalizing drug abuse has cannot stop people from indulging in the vice and in any case, it has only led to increased usage. This is due to uncertainty associated with accessing the drugs once the law describes them as illegal.