US Public Policies on Drug Use and Healthcare Issues, Essay Example

To note, the overall aspect of drug policies being made by the US administrators follow a particular pattern that is determined under the authority of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. This agency is established under a cabinet-level that responds to the authority of the President being in the Executive Office. The said agency’s existence is also supported by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. From this point, the agency was then regarded to be expected to follow a particular pattern of operation that depicts the eradication of drug trafficking, manufacturing of the illicit substances while also controlling all other resulting matters related to the said issue. This general umbrella of a patterned creation of rules in the community with regards drug use is followed through in a form of distinguishing both the culture and behavior of a particular group of individuals present in a certain society, thus addressing their specific needs accordingly.

At present, one of the most controversial points of rule-creation with regards drugs that are created by the Obama administration could be related to the Progressive Public Health and Safety Strategies on Drug Control. The 2012 National Drug Control Strategy featured at least 113 specific actions that must be taken into account by law enforcers and other members of the community and government who are expected to be part of the process of imposing the policies mentioned. This outlined program addresses specific situations and specific actions that need to be given attention to.

One specific relatable change that could be noticed in this particular chain of policies includes the reduction of consideration on incarceration or immediate capture of individuals [especially the young ones] who are found to have drugs in their possession. It is believed by the creator[s] of this particular general policy on drug use in the US that immediate incarceration may not resolve the issue, instead make the situation even worse in the country. The complete cessation of drug use and distribution in the country would only stop if the roots are treated fully. The problem comes from social decay and social insistence on how drugs are perceived especially by the young ones.

This is why it is aimed by this set of policies that the root of the situation be treated accordingly.  It could not be denied that somehow, the course of retrieving the young ones under the influence of drug addiction and distribution issues could only be resolved through determining the roots of the issue and the ways by which they have been taught about how they should see drugs as part of their social connections. It is with the goal of turning them around from their old ways and the deterring options of growth that they are going through that this policy aims to allow the ones found to be abusive of drugs to be taught and convinced to take a different path in life.

Through international partnerships, this particular issue aims to contain the situation especially among young ones being affected by the issue. Immigrants coming in and out of the country are seen to have a great impact on how the issue develops further. Through this system, the US administrators and law enforcers try hard to find a way to make a definite turn on how drug-related laws are imposed and applied even beyond the limits of national borders. This way, the actions and other profiling options that would make it easier to determine drug predators in the country even as they are still coming in within the borders.

Through applying other points of strategic ways of treating the ones found to be guilty of the case, the policy focuses more on rehabilitation rather than on simply putting the guilty ones behind bars. Penetrating the situation through dealing with individual issues is the aim of this policy. Making sure that the target would be directed to the thinking and behavior of the ones affected by the law makes the process even more effective especially as it tries to redefine the flow of attention that the law gives towards the subjects of the government’s administrational responsibility.

While some may say that such a policy is weak especially in addressing matters with regards the rising cases of drug addiction and distribution in the country, it is assumed that when it comes to creating better options of resolving the problems, dealing with the roots of the condition would always be more effective rather than simply putting people involved behind bars while the problems grow even harder to deal with.

Noticeably, the adjustments that need to be dealt with in relation to this policy are large in form. It may not be easy for the law enforcers who have been used to simply catching individuals caught to be guilty and putting them behind bars, to transform their approach to the problem. Instead of focusing on ceasing the groups or the syndicates that are dedicated towards promoting massive drug-use among members of the community, this policy calls for dealing with individuals as they face the different issues of personal and social pressures. Helping them grow out of such situations and be more in control of their lives and their decisions, the law entails to make a better sense of the personality of each individual hoping that they would make better decisions amongst themselves. As a result, a dramatic drop of the number of individuals who are addicted to the substance and are engaged in distributing it have been found to be rather proof to the effectiveness of the policy itself.

References

Cook, Dave (2009-03-11). “New drug czar gets lower rank, promise of higher visibility“. Christan Science Monitor.

Office of National Drug Control Policy. Obama Administration Releases 21st Century Drug Policy Strategy. http://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/news-releases-remarks/obama-administration-releases-21st-century-drug-policy-strategy> (Retrieved on March 1, 2015).

Cockburn, Alexander; Jeffrey St. Clair (1998). Whiteout, the CIA, Drugs and the Press. New York: Verso.