"U.S Spies on Millions of Drivers"

Drug Enforcement

            The article that I read was taken from the Wall Street Journal called, “U.S Spies on Millions of Drivers.” While reading this article I was very shocked about the information that I was being presented with. I had no idea that the Justice Department along with the DEA were going to such depths to combat the drug problem in the U.S. In 2008, the Justice Department initiated a program that collected vehicles whereabouts in real time and filed it in a national database. The program first used cameras on major highways along the U.S-Mexico border since most drugs were coming from there. It then, over the years expanded throughout the U.S. The main goal of the licensing-plate program was to gather cars, cash and other things related to crime in order to reduce our countries drug problem. The data base can be accessed by federal, state, and local government officials as a way to keep everyone on the same page to take/make necessary moves. The DEA said that “98 kilograms of cocaine have been gathered, 8,336 kilograms of marijuana and about 866,380 dollars in 2010. The program is no longer only used in combating drug trafficking but is also being used in other crimes like rape, kidnappings and murder.

            Another type of surveillance or drug enforcement method talked about in the article was the phone surveillance by the U.S Marshall's who used planes with devices like cell phone towers that scan and collected information about individuals calling foreign countries as potential suspects. These two methods used in the process of drug enforcement has been very controversial among many American’s and politicians regarding the abundance of information collected about innocent individuals while searching for criminals. I personally think that such precautions are needed and can be very helpful in combating the huge drug problem that is affecting many lives. In respect to the amount of lives lost to drugs in this country I think that we as citizens can give up certain freedoms like being on surveillance for the safety of others.

            In class we have learnt about the negative effects of marijuana, cocaine and other drugs that individuals are using and becoming addicted to. We have learned that individuals have certain physical and psychological dependence to these drugs and its use can lead to irrational thoughts and behaviors. Both marijuana and cocaine are the two most common drugs that are smuggled into the Unites States from Mexico according to the DEA. Most of the drugs are illegal, therefore are harder to find and use. This is important because our citizens are the individuals being negatively affected by the drugs harmful side-effects.  Drugs are a great concern in our country and as learned mandatory minimums are placed for those carrying certain amounts of drugs. By tracking large potential drug dealers by using this license – plate program the DEA along with other agencies can go out and arrest both the dealers and buyers in order to combat this drug epidemic. This program allows us to see the real time location and activities of the drug personnel that can also verify their identity and can ensure their arrest.

As learned in class, marijuana and other drugs become more potent as the years go on and higher potency means higher addiction and abuse rates. With marijuana being a schedule one drug, possessing it alone is dangerous more so is the distributions and production of it. I think that it is very important for our governmental enforcement agencies to do whatever they have to in order to keep our country safe. There are many illegal activities and involvement that comes with smuggling drugs into the country that our border patrol may not be able to find. I think that having a national data base that all levels of governmental agencies can access is very critical in finding and arresting massive drug dealers. Our drug problem is something that our country is trying to deal with from the inside and we do not need outsiders missing this positive change that can be seen.

Just like the coast guard on the waters, our license – plate program allows us to view and keep track of what is going on inside our borders. As learned in class, since the Nixon Era our country has been at war with drugs, I do not think that it is time to quit just yet because our country has a long way to recovery. There is obviously still a huge demand for all types of drugs but it we have to try to recover damaged lives that have been plagued by addiction. Now that we have such a system in place to enforce our drug policies, I think that we must pay more attention to those citizens that are already affected by the problem.

Our society is becoming more and more impacted by drugs every day. Each of us probably knows someone or have heard close stories of someone who either uses or has been affected in some way by drugs. Our prisons populations are becoming over bearing with drug arrests and I do not think that this should be the case. Yes drugs are bad and are impacting the lives of ever day individuals but there are more serious crimes that I think call for prison time. Drugs are substances that I know individuals can do without and because of this I think that it is important that over government fight for the elimination of the problem because I do not see it getting better. If left un-touch then, the country would soon have a problem that they are unable to recover from. I think that the license-plate program is a great idea and should be kept in place to combat drug problems in the United States.

Article Link: http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-spies-on-millions-of-cars-1422314779

"The WAR on Drugs"

              Since President Richard Nixon declared a “war on drugs” in 1971, I think that the American public and government has come a long way. The war on drugs was originally in place to combat drug abuse. Instead the war now seems to be on the criminality of drug use itself. Yes people are becoming addicted and not themselves but most emphasis is being placed on the possession, production, and distribution and it is not having an effect on the abuse problem itself. Drugs have become a very important part of the everyday lives of individuals and by trying to take this right away over the past decades have only worsen the problem of drug abuse. I think this is because society that society placed demonizing views on the use of drugs and those who use any type are too ashamed to let others know when they become addicted experience problems with the drug. The drug problem overall has become widely known it does not seem like people themselves want to stop using drugs and by pressuring them through laws is not the right way to go about it.
 In my opinion it think that we are losing this war with very year that goes by. It seems to me that the public is leaning more towards their rightful freedoms to do as they please. Even though the federal government still uphold most of their standards, individual state governments have recently began supporting drug policies that enable drug use but not its production or distribution. Individuals used drugs before, during and after the Nixon administration and will continue to do so. The cost of losing the war are high prison population because of high incarceration rates for those involved with drugs. Lives have been thrown away because of the harsh laws that were in place. Another cost is the amount of individuals’ lives that have been lost due to overdose and addiction. Families have been broken up. Another cost is the illegal drug trade that has increase with the laws that are in place for drugs both illegal and prescribed. Millions of dollars are being spent every year on the enforcement of drug laws, but evidence shows that it is not effective. For instance the OxyContin Express movie depicts pain clinics giving out medication to whoever. There are more illegal activities taking place than were probably anticipated. The war on drugs has not been successful, if anything it has made the problem worst.                                 

The Current Debate...MARIJUANA?

                                              

The forum “Legalize Marijuana? A Conversation with the Experts,” was very interesting and listening to both sides has led me to take into consideration some important issues that I had no previously considered. With that being said my opinion on the legalization of marijuana remains the same. I am going to summarize the most profound arguments for both sides of the debate.

The best argument that I heard from the experts is that all drugs have the potential for abuse and comes with certain effects. A big topic for the legalization that the panel talked about was making marijuana a schedule 2 drug. Research has shown that there are medical effectiveness of marijuana for pain and increase in food intake for AIDS and cancer patients. To back the previous statement made by an expert, they went on to state that the medication does not have to be effective for everything. By trying to prove the findings for the legalization of marijuana, legal consequences came into play. The experts discussed the involvement of all levels of the government. First and foremost was at the federal level. Even though many states have legalized marijuana the federal government has not. Another topic brought up was the idea of producing and distributing products. Even though most states have legalized marijuana there are many restrictions that individuals have to follow. This was a great argument that was brought up and as an expert stated that there are many ways for which marijuana can be legal, it does not have to be on the extremes that is the four business model and prohibition.

The best arguments for the prohibition of marijuana was based on the aspects we learned about in class. Some were that there is a high potential for abuse. There is no medical use and does not have a proven safety standard. These arguments are based on the fact the marijuana is a schedule 1 drug. Another argument that an expert pointed out that I found interesting and important was that most individuals do not think of are the neurological consequences that using marijuana. As pointed out in the forum, one may not act like a maniac but your mind while on marijuana does not function normally because of the intoxication. If marijuana is safe then it should be like any other vegetable and not on a ballot. There has not been any long term effects of marijuana on chronic diseases and research shows that id taken chronically individuals are about 50 percent at risk of becoming addicted. Experts believe that if many states were to legalize marijuana then adolescents would be affected more because studies have shown that those who use by the age of 15 are 5-6 times at higher risks for becoming addicted than those who use after 21 years.

It is difficult to tell the exact impact that legalizing marijuana may have on the overall public health. This could be better studied if the federal government had a role in the legalization also. The burden would not only be relieved from the states but there could be a common ground on laws that guide what state can and cannot do. With this regulation of marijuana I think that individuals will look at the drug like any other. With all drugs there are going to be complications and dangerous effects because not everyone react the same.