Name
Institution
Professor
Course
Date of Submission
Significant Modification of Abuse LawDrug abuse is one of the depriving offenses in America that significantly affects the society as well as the individual users. Various laws have been put in place where the drug users have punished accordingly regarding the law. However, the act of jailing and casting various punishment to the victims raise the disturbing question. Does punishing the users have any impact on a life of the offenders or is just subjecting suffering to them? What are the other ways to make the victims better after the jail term and rectify their bad behavior as they get back to the community? Many of these drug traffickers in America have used the substances for a long time and are addicts. Therefore, the point of interest is that apart from the users just being punished there can be a mechanism where for a significant portion of their jail term they can be taken to a rehab where they can rectify their behavior (Kerrison, page 11). In this paper, the pro and cons of changing the law regarding drug abuse in a way that the victims can spend part of it serving the jail term and the other half on rehab are discussed into an In-depth extent.
It is right that they deserve the punishment for their unlawful deeds, but they are nation’s civilians whom after the jail term are supposed to be productive to the society. From the point of view, the current law is not fair as to the offenders as they are citizens as well as brothers and sisters to various people in the community who would like to see a change in their lives. Change is inevitable and for the nation to develop both socially and economically productive solution has to be put into action. The point of interest regards incorporating the law that will do not only state punishment to drug users but also efficiently state they should be taken to rehab (Arora et.al page 136). For instance, there before when establishing the law, the forefathers had an intention of making the offenders rectify their behaviors in the term of punishing them so that they can realize their mistakes. However, as time goes, it is evident that the victims do not change their character and after the jail terms, they continue with the same behavior of abusing the substance.
Substances are addictive, and they also have long-term effects on the users as well as the community. For instance, through passive smoking non-smokers are significantly affected by the nicotine available in cigarettes. The addicts experience lots of health implications and hallucinations that the possibility of committing crimes are high. Also, they require finances to purchase the drugs which are at many times costly as the drug traffickers take high risks when they are supplying them, and in return, they expect high profits. Therefore, the addicts at many times found in criminal activities such as robbery and burglary so that they can get the money to purchase the substance. The family, as well as other community members, suffer significant consequences as they are the victims of all these misconducts done by the drug users. Thus, rectification of the drug users’ behavior during their imprisonment is a valid thing that immediate actions are supposed to be taken (Johnson, et al. page 4).
The act of introducing rehab session as a part of jail term has its pros and cons which make different people come up with a different point of views and arguments. To begin, with are the advantages of rectifying the law regarding punishing drug users in America overpowers the repercussions. It is true that the users are offenders of law, and they deserve the punishment, but taking them to the rehab will not only help them to cease from the unethical behavior but also shapes their life and changes the character. Rehab centers in the country play a vital role in the community as they derive the pessimistic users from substance addiction into a drug-free lifestyle. Many people fall into the trap of drug use unaware mostly due to peer pressure and depression as a way of relieving stress. Therefore, it is morally upright to help them change their behavior and get back to the community productive.
Also, taking the prisoners to rehab gives them a chance to meditate and think about their future as well as that of the society as they are taught the effects of substance to their well-being as well as the community in general. The rehab centers have been primarily put in place to shape and change drug addicts. Therefore, there are experts in guidance and counseling who knows how to approach drug addicts as well as how to psychologically change their perspective regarding the use of the substance. It is right that not all drugs are prohibited in the country, but the fact remains that with abuse all the substance are hazardous to human health. For instance, the experts may decide to regulate the rate at which the addict take drugs up to a point where they can comfortably survive without their use (Chie et.al page 90). The case is different with imprisonment as the drug user has no option apart from entirely ceasing from drug use during the jail term where many ends up suffering to the extent of demise.
Furthermore, apart from being taught the technicalities of surviving without substance abuse in the rehab, the drug addicts are equipped with moral values as well as discipline and how to approach the community comprehensively after the session. Ethnicity is the key to discipline and well-being in the society. Thus the rectification of the moral deprivation due to drug use is a sound action. The victims will be taught on how to stay together with family, relative and other community members without the ego of disownment. The family, as well as society at large, are for the rectification of behavior, and that is the primary reason behind putting the law in action.
On the other side, the act of taking the prisoners to the rehab for a significant portion of imprisonment has its disadvantages. First, the government will incur extra cost for the programs and other operations to be carried out during the process. However, with sufficient results that are beneficial to the society, it is worth to incur the extra cost. Also, it is clear that the act of drug abuse will increase as people will be confident that even after addiction they will get out of it for free by the government. It is correct, but the better part of it is that the jail term, as well as punishment, remains in place. First and foremost the offenders have to serve their jail term as per the law and the only change expected is an addition of the rehab bit. It is common that all things have pro and cons, but it is prudent to go for the ones that their benefits suppress the shortcomings.
As discussed above, the act of changing drug abuse law in a way that the offenders be spending half of it serving a jail term and the rest of the rehab is sound and beneficial to the society. However, the burden of changing the behavior of drug addicts should not be put aside only for the government but should also be an individual responsibility of accepting the victims back into the community as well as showing them a right path toward ethical conducts.
References
Arora, Hobinder, et al. “Evaluation of socio-demographic profile of the drug abusers visiting drug deaddiction centre at Faridkot, Punjab.” Journal of Advanced Medical and Dental Sciences Research 4.2 (2016): 136.
Chie, Qiu Ting, et al. “substance abuse, relapse, and Treatment Program evaluation in Malaysia: Perspective of rehab Patients and staff Using the Mixed Method approach.” Frontiers in psychiatry 7 (2016): 90.
Johnson, Byron R., et al. “Faith and Service: Pathways to Identity Transformation and Correctional Reform.” Finding Freedom in Confinement: The Role of Religion in Prison Life (2018): 3.
Kerrison, Erin M. “Exploring how prison-based drug rehabilitation programming shapes racial disparities in substance use disorder recovery.” Social Science & Medicine (2017).
