Introduction
Generally, addiction refers to the habitual psychological and physiologic reliance on a substance/drug that cannot be controlled. Alternatively, it may also refer to when an individual participates in a pleasurable activity of which a sustained use might be compulsive hence distorting the normal life routines.
Generally, addiction has led to broken morals, malpractices, distorted relationships, as well as significant health problems. It is notable that most addicts might not be aware of their deviant characters. Contextually, physical addiction incorporates a biological condition where an individual adjusts to the presence and continuous use of a given drug. Consequently, the body develops some tolerance.
The phenomenon involving the overreaction of a person’s brain also includes another potential physical addiction. It is argued that people abuse drugs or develop addiction to contain emotional stress. Because these psychologically-drawn addictions are never based on drug and brain impacts, this explains why individuals often assume addictive behaviours when they consume a specific or a totally distinct type of drug.
Dealing with addiction remains a complex initiative due to myriad of influences it causes in the society. This paper explains the correlation between the legal system and addiction. Additionally, it also discusses if laws and the government agencies dealing with drug control assist in lowering the incidents of addiction.
The Correlation between the Legal System and Addiction
The recent developments in psychology, as well as intensive studies in the concept of addiction, has drawn considerable debates and concerns on the issue of relationships between the legal system and addiction. Historically, it is observable that the legal system has been an active agent towards the minimization of drug abuse.
Moreover, it has also stood out to be one of the sole actors in the punishment of drug perpetrators, as well as addicts. In US for instance, the justice system has always been influenced since early 1900s through attempts to totally eliminate various drugs. The setup of juvenile, as well as rehabilitation centres by the government for the youth drug addicts, remains a noble initiative catapulted by the legal systems.
Evidently, the struggle by most legal systems to curb the menace is noticed globally. For instance, the first law targeting drugs in US was termed the Harrison Act of 1914. This legislation acted against the consumption, distribution, and trade of illicit drugs within the society. Additionally, it outlawed opiates as well as cocaine. After the emergence of this act, several policies were passed. Consequently, major amendments were also put in place at diverse intervals.
However, it is critical to note that the war on drugs began later during the early 1970s. This was mainly realized after the US Congress passed the Comprehensive Drug Abuse and Control Act in 1970. The country also promoted a movement known as ‘War on Drugs’ fighting against illegal international trade and consumption of illicit drugs.
Generally, despite several loopholes that have existed within the legal system’s mandate to curb the mentioned drug menace, significant effort has been launched to bring drug use under control. Generally, there is an observation that most legal systems remain punitive on drug users. However, they have minimal consideration of the historical, hereditary or psychological factors behind such practices amongst the population, particularly the youth.
There has been much advocacy by other concerned agencies to integrate psychological as well as rehabilitative processes within the legal systems. This is proposed to assist in the rehabilitation and consequent transformation of addicts. For most legal systems, there is follow up and tracing of people engaged in the drug trafficking and selling to various distributors. Particularly, the drug barons have fallen prey of most legal systems.
Since drug use has increasingly spread amongst the youth, there has been an increasing interest to monitor the sources and terminate drug deals by various peddlers. However, the entire monitoring as well as control of the various types of drugs by the legal system have not been realized.
This is for the club drugs that are mostly associated with youth and have consequently led to high addiction rates, as well as deviant behaviours within the society. Additionally, alcohol has potentially remained highly abused even with the younger generation due to lack of proper monitoring and compliance mechanisms to the laws.
The involvement of other government agencies has also not been completely comprehensive. This is because the legal system has increasingly based its rules in the regulation of the alcohol producing industries rather than the largely affected populace. There is a limited prohibitive measure in ensuring the teenagers are not involved in drug and substance abuse.
This is particularly aggravated by the fact that most addicted parents enhance the children’s accessibility to the drugs. Evidently, most elderly persons who suffer from drug or alcohol addiction have confessed to have potentially influenced their kids into the act. Basically, this is because most legal systems have ineffectively executed principal procedures as well as systems of conducting/monitoring domestic drug use among these populations.
The Involvement of Laws and Government Agencies in Lowering Addiction
The involvement of the laws as well as other government agencies in minimizing cases of drug addiction has been notable for a long time. The legal and government agencies’ involvement in the fight has remained effective in the fight against the problem. It is notable that even though most governments have engaged in this fight, there still remain significant loopholes that need to be addressed comprehensively.
To begin with, it is notable that most key government agencies as well as their top leaders have fallen prey to the drug trafficking industry. The involvement of the government top leaders in drug trafficking as well as trade industry is a serious issue that has compromised total fight on drug addiction.
It is vital to note that this practice has been particularly noted within the developing world where the issue of drug addiction coupled with deviant behaviours is also increasingly becoming a potential challenge. There has been potential observation of increased homicide as well as criminal activities particularly when the legal war on drugs becomes intensive and underway.
The negative effects of excess alcohol as well as tobacco remain eminent to most states. However, it is shocking that the production of alcohol as well as cigarettes have still remained legal. This condition is worsened by the fact that their distribution remains unmonitored with even the underage having access to the dangerous substances.
The legislation for club drug has particularly remained ineffective, and this continues to propel addiction and engagement in the use of other potentially harmful dugs. This is because the access and addiction to a specific type of drug potentially leads into the use of another drug, thus leading to an elongated string of substance abuse. In most legislative systems, it is observable that tobacco, its products, and alcohol remain legally approved for use with people of a particular age.
In other government agencies, there are notable efforts that have occasionally been cited to persuade persons to give up or let away smoking as well as substance abuse. However, these efforts are still rendered useless because tobacco as well as its other products still largely remain legal and accessible to most adults.
Moreover, it is also notable that even the youth and other underage children get access to these substances easily. This occurs through peer pressure, purchasing from local retailers and joints that are interested in profit making, and also through access from the stores of addicted parents.
The public endeavours to influence and prevent the use of drugs and other potentially harmful substances capable of transforming ones moods or enhancing concentration have resulted into mixed reactions and outcomes. It is important to note that the legal prohibition of these substances came to termination majorly due to a massive disobedience.
This was particularly observed in the US following a series of amendments on the drug and other substances abuse acts. In certain ways, the government agencies and the existing laws’ efforts to prohibit or manage the use of drugs as well as substances seems generally inconsistent with the direct harm that is yet to be caused.
Addiction generally refers to the habitual uncontrollable physiologic or psychological dependence on a drug or practice. It is evident that addiction emanates when an individual continuously ingests substances (capable of altering moods/behaviours) such as alcohol, bhang, cocaine, or nicotine among others.
Therefore, it is critical to enact a comprehensive program to alleviate or eradicate the practice of drug abuse and substance dependency. This requires an all rounded approach that investigates psychological implications and influences on the people’s rationale for the practice.
However, governments as well as its other agencies have failed to comprehensively address this concern. So far as observed, government’s interests rest on the ability to use force as well as deterrence through prosecution of offenders and victims to fight this deviant character. However, this approach has often led to high levels of disobedience.
The inability of the legal agencies to completely control the processing as well as the distribution of alcoholic substances within the society perhaps is one critical factor that has consciously led to increased level of drug addictions. The easy access to the youths and teenagers to bar joints propels their exposure to drugs.
Observably, this situation is worsened by the highly seductive, persuasive, and influential advertisement of some drugs in the social media. Considering this point, it is notable that the government has largely failed to control and regulate the advertisement content of the notable drugs within the social media. The situation is propelled presently, given to the increased level of technology as well as globalization.
Conclusion
Conclusively, the issue of drug and substance abuse remains a great public health concern and social challenge particularly in the globalized world. The involvement of legal systems and other government agencies has been critical in curtailing this behaviour. This is critical despite the widely notable limitations recorded by some governments. It is crucial to understand the concepts of addiction in order to unveil its relationships with the established government regulations.