Controlling Substances

How Our War On Drug Abuse Is Hurting Prescribed Patients

Sydney Arnold
 Table of Contents
The uses of controlled substances in medications.

The history of Americas war on drugs.

i. What is being done to eradicate illegal drugs.
ii. The Controlled Substance Act.

How to get a prescription containing a controlled substance.

The hardships of picking up a prescription containing a controlled substance.

What this war on drugs is costing us.

i. Changes that can be made for a positive future.

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 The Uses of Controlled
Substances in Medications
Time Uses Controlled substances are drugs that have
serious detrimental effects on the human
5000 The first recorded use of opium by
B.C. Sumerians
body, and the distribution is monitored
closely by the government.
c. 1000 Opium widely used in China and
eastern Asia
The use of substances we know to be
c. 1523 First recorded use of opium in harmful to the human body has gone back a
medicine
long time. Like the table to the left shows, the
1841 Hashish (cannabis) is first used in the use of drugs like opium goes far back,
treatment of a mental patient though arent recorded as being used for
1884 Sigmund Freud uses cocaine to treat medical purposes until much closer to the
depression 1500s.
1903 Coca-Cola replaces the cocaine in
their recipe with caffeine Most drugs harmful properties, like
1971 Richard Nixon marks drug abuse a addiction, werent widely known until the
public issue, creates DEA end of the 19th century, and werent
controlled by government organizations until
the 20th century.
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 The History of Americas
War on Drugs
In 1971, Richard Nixon
(shown right) created the
Drug Enforcement Agency
(DEA) to combat
Americas public enemy
#1, or, drug abuse. Since
then, the DEA has been at
the front of the fight
against illegal drug trade in
America.

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 Whats Being Done To
Eradicate Illegal Drugs
In the U.S., several government agencies led by the
Drug Enforcement Agency are working cooperatively
to take down drugs trafficking rings, usually through
interception during transit. Though a lot of drug
trafficking cant currently be stopped at the source, by
reducing the amount brought into the country, the
demand would outweigh the supply and help keep the
rate of new drug users low.

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 The Controlled Substance Act
The Controlled Substance Act
(CSA) is a federal drug policy
that regulates the manufacture
and distribution of controlled
substances such as
hallucinogens, narcotics,
depressants, and stimulations.
The CSA divides drugs into five
categories called Schedules
and are based on the potential
for abuse, status in international
treaties, and medical benefits.
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1. Schedule 1 is the most harmful
with no medical use, and
includes Ecstasy, LSD,
Heroin, and Marijuana
(though Marijuana has known
medical benefits).
2. Schedule 2, includes Cocaine
and Morphine.
3. Schedule 3, includes Anabolic
Steroids, Vicodin, and
Marinol.
4. Schedule 4 includes drugs like
Ambien, Xanax, and Valium.
5. Schedule 5, includes Lyrica
and cough suppressants.
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 How To Get A Prescription
Containing A Controlled Substance

Most individuals need to have a degree of severity to

their symptoms before a doctor will prescribe a
controlled substance. Sometimes medications of a
weaker strength will be tried first, but most doctors are
confident in the prescription.

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 The Hardship Of Picking Up A
Controlled Substance Prescription

Requirements To Pick Up Every time you go to

Prescription the pharmacy its a
Be the patient, or spouse of gamble. They cant
patient tell you over the
Photo ID phone if they even
Physical (not electronic) have the meds in
prescription stock, its just
frustrating!
- Spouse of a Schedule 2 patient
with a long-term prescription.

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 What This War On Drugs Is
Costing Us
Costs of Ending World Hunger vs. Drug Related
In 2013, there were 330,000 450000000
Costs in a Decade

inmates incarcerated for drug 400000000

offence in the United states. The 350000000
cost of living for these inmates,

Cost in Dollar Amount

300000000
as well as the cost for police and
court personnel use involved 250000000

with drug cases, thats roughly 200000000

$40million annually, and 150000000

$400million in a decade that 100000000

taxpayer dollars are used for. For 50000000

perspective, ending world 0
hunger in a decade would be World Hunger Drug Related Costs

$300million.

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 Changes That Can Be Made
For A Positive Future
Perhaps the laws we currently have regarding
drug users are more ineffective than they are
affective. Taking a look at Portugal, they have
decriminalized all drugs from Marijuana to
Heroin. While drug trafficking is still illegal,
authorities no longer arrest citizens carrying
what is considered 10-days supply of any
drug, but issue a sentence to meet before a
panel of experts that then issue treatments
and sometimes counseling or therapy. Since
they started this in 2000, theyve seen serious
drops in both HIV and death from overdosing.
Theyve put the focus on giving help for
addicts and normalizing seeking treatment
rather than filling up prisons. Its a social issue
rather than a crime.

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 References
199 National Drug Control Strategy . (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2017, from
https://www.ncjrs.gov/ondcppubs/publications/policy/99ndcs/iv-g.html

Oakford, S. (2016, April 19). Portugal's Example: What Happened After It Decriminalized All Drugs, From Weed
to Heroin. Retrieved July 12, 2017, from
https://news.vice.com/article/ungass-portugal-what-happened-after-decriminalization-drugs-weed-to-heroin

Portugal On Map [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2017, from
http://www.operationworld.org/files/ow/maps/lgmap/port-MMAP-md.png

The Controlled Substances Act (CSA): Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2017, from
http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/controlled-substances-act-csa-overview.html

Timeline of Events in the History of Drugs. (2014, December 15). Retrieved July 12, 2017, from
https://inpud.wordpress.com/timeline-of-events-in-the-history-of-drugs/

US Has 330,000 Drug Offenders in Prison, Spends More On Drug War Than Cost to End World Hunger. (2016,
February 22). Retrieved July 12, 2017, from
http://consciouslifenews.com/330000-drug-offenders-prison-spends-drug-war-cost-world-hunger/1147052/

Unless otherwise noted, charts and graphs were self-created images.

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