Effects of Drug Abuse on Society Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Effects of Drug Abuse on Society - Assignment Example Shockingly, almost 20 % of costs for hospitals in Medicaid and a quarter of funds allocated to Medicare and spent on inpatient care go to substance abuse treatments. Also, looking at our prisons, about 70% of individual inmates have once been regular drug users. The state prison population growth is accounted for by up to more than a third of drug offenders. Worse still is that this same group of individuals has contributed an 80% growth in the population of the prison since 1985. It can be seen that drug abuse is the number one cause for offenses committed by inmates and is also highly costly to the national budget. As Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse puts it, â€Å"Drug abuse and addiction are a major burden to society; economic costs alone are estimated to exceed half a trillion dollars annually in the United States, including health, crime-related costs, and losses in productivity. However, as staggering as these numbers are, they provide a limited perspective of the devastating consequences of this disease.† This picture shows how other aspects of the society can suffer underdevelopment due to drugs. The drugs problem affects every age group in the society including children who stay with their parents who are struggling with their addiction. Over time, studies by scientists on drug abuse were shadowed by myths. Drug addicts have been thought of as morally flawed and not having willpower. This view majorly shaped society’s response toward drug abuse. Instead of treating it as a health problem, it was taken to be a moral failing. As such, punitive criminal justice was the strategy of choice in curbing it. This was at the expense of therapeutic actions that are preventative and having a base in public health understanding regarding addiction and recovery. Recently done research has identified environmental, psychological and biological factors contributing to addiction development and progression.