The Drug Threat in Plain Sight, Research Paper Example

The Drug Threat in Plain Sight discusses a problem concerning the war on drugs that few people typically consider. While the drug that we typically call marijuana is considered illegal, it its illegality is defined by law enforcement a substance with a particular chemical structure and chemical properties. This provides the opportunity for drug dealers to slightly modify the natural components of the drug and sell it legally in many states. There are many different types of synthetic pot available on the black market, and it is important to consider that since these products are not legal, they may cause harmful effects to its users that are both difficult to predict and treat.

The book opens up with a discussion about a particular case in which use of a particular type of synthetic pot went wrong. To draw the reader in, the author discusses the situation of Roni Cannon’s son, who had been knowingly using a strain of synthetic pot called K2. The son did not consider the use to be an issue, as he was aware that it was legal. However, his mother noted that the drug impacted him mentally and it changed his personality altogether. When he stopped using the drug, his behavior had returned to normal. Ultimately, Mrs. Cannon and many others believe that the designer drug trend is becoming problematic because they are widely available. Thus, it is falling legally into the hands of many individuals that would not otherwise be drug users. In addition, these synthetic drug users suffer from many of the same effects that users of the pure substance do, but have added risk because many of the properties of the synthetic substances are not known.

There is a great need for law enforcement to understand to catch up with the criminals who are producing these legal versions of illegal drugs. However, not much can be done at the moment because they are not considered to be illegal. Therefore, law makers also need to play a role in this to make substances similar to illegal substances illegal as well, with the exception of those that can be considered useful for medical purposes. In the reading, Senator Amy Klobuchar states “We have to be as sophisticated as the crooks and the drug dealers that are putting these drugs out there, and our laws just simply aren’t”. Thus, while the laws currently remain the same, it is promising that many legislators recognize that action of some sort needs to be taken immediately.

Interestingly, a majority of these new drug compounds are being made outside of the United States. Therefore, protecting American citizens against these drugs is a twofold process. First, laws need to adapt quickly so that the government can ban harmful synthetic drugs shortly after they reach the country, in order to keep up with the speed in which foreign chemists can make ones with different formulas. In addition, the import laws must be tightened. Even if these drugs cannot be made illegal quickly, the government can make them more expensive to enter this country, and it is possible that increasing taxes on synthetic drug imports will decrease the manufacturer’s incentive to ship them to the country in the first place.

It is important to consider the reason that many individuals are turning to synthetic pot rather than the actual product. First, because synthetic pot is legal, it is easier to obtain. Individuals who were dissuaded by falling in to bad terms with the police no longer have to if they obtain the synthetic version of the drug. Furthermore, since many of the chemicals that are in the drug have been modified, individuals who need to be drug tested can turn to use of the compound to avoid detection of drug use for employment and other screenings. However, it is important to consider that the aspects of the drug that have generally made it desirable by users have also made it undesirable. For example, the drug synthesizers use many chemicals that are generally considered dangerous to either smoke or ingest. The more common of these two compounds are herbal incense and potpourri. Since these products are typically found in cleaning materials, their impacts are unpredictable and dangerous. In particular, there have been synthetic drug related kidney failures, seizures, and psychoses.

The article argues that utilizing unmodified marijuana may be safer than the synthesized version because it has been used for centuries and its effects are known. There have been no deaths related to drug overdose either, although there have been some related to the mental impacts that the drug has. However, the risk of an individual dying from marijuana related intoxication is somewhat less than that of alcohol intoxication, so it is important to consider legislative action that the country can take in order to ensure that the harm that synthetic pot users suffer can be removed altogether.

A reasonable solution to counter synthetic marijuana would be to promote the harmful impacts that it can cause in the form of public service advertisements. A way to further demote its use among young people in the population would be to legalize regular marijuana. The production of synthetic marijuana has demonstrated that individuals who wish to use the drug will find a way to do so, even if it is less safe that the original version. Therefore, it is the responsibility of law makers and enforces to find ways to promote the legalization of marijuana and the removal of the synthetic version. While many long-term impacts of marijuana drug use is not known, there have been far less deaths from use of this version of the drug, which is certain. Therefore, any steps necessary to remove harmful synthetic chemicals from the population should be taken.

Ultimately, it would be beneficial for the FDA to become involved with the sales of synthetic compounds. It is the organization that has been assigned the task of ensuring that all food and medicine bought and sold in the United States is not harmful to those utilizing them. Therefore, all products imported from China should be thoroughly tested before they are assigned legal status. If these products do not cause any harmful impacts past what marijuana would do to an individual, then they should be considered legal. If not, they should remain illegal. It is important to reverse the way we think about drug legality in terms of synthesized part, and assume all drugs illegal until they can be proven legal. Since failure to do so is causing the death and sickness of many individuals, it is important that we take action quickly.

Works Cited

Gray A. The Drug Threat in Plain Sight. 21 April 2014. Web. 29 November 2014.