The most common consequences of drug abuse are poor health, deteriorated immune system, and ultimately death. Some addicts have also gone to the extent of contracting needle-borne illnesses such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis (Lander, Howsare & Byrne, 2013). The adverse implications of drug abuse do affect not only individuals who indulge in this vice but also their friends, relatives, and the community at large. Children born to people who frequently abuse drugs often become neglected and remain homeless. These young ones end up being emotional and physically depressed due to lack of proper healthcare, and necessities such as food and shelter. Businesses also suffer due to employees who engage in drug abuse (Baldwin, Marcus, & De Simone, 2010). The productivity and expenses of the company are often negatively affected due to high absenteeism and excessive medical and insurance payments. Furthermore, use of drugs among students has resulted in more school dropouts and indiscipline cases (Balsa, Giulano & French, 2011). The paper shall assess how drug and substance abuse has impacted the community in Delaware. The analysis shall also offer recommendations on various prevention measures the society may take to minimize this vice.
Overview of Available Drugs in Delaware
A drug is any substance once ingested in the body alters the normal functioning of the body either positively or negatively. There are numerous types of drugs. Some are legal and others illegal. The most common forms of drugs easily accessible to people are cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana – which is legal in some states. The unlawful types of drugs include cocaine, heroin, and meth. These drugs are smoked, drank, sniffed and injected into the body. Early initiation of drug abuse significantly increases the chances of future substance disorders.
One of the major drugs abused in Delaware is alcohol and cigarette. Though legal, these drugs have adverse effects on the consumer if taken excessively. The other drug that is readily available in the area is heroin. Abuse of heroin is the main threat facing drug enforcement agencies in the area. Reports from local government bureaus indicate an increase in heroin trafficking and exploitation. Most of the drugs supplied in the locality come from Philadelphia based cartels. Another drug that is readily available in Delaware is cocaine. The demand for this drug has grown over the years raising concern from medical practitioners and the local authority. Mexican drug cartels functioning in New York City and Philadelphia are the primary dealers of cocaine in the area (DEA Intelligence Report, 2016). The transportation of cocaine is mainly done through cars fitted with hidden compartments.
Marijuana is also a popular drug that is commonly consumed by the locals. Commercial vehicles and postal deliveries are the primary means for the transportation of these drugs (DEA Intelligence Report, 2016). Farming of marijuana is not allowed in the region. However, a law was passed in 2011 allowing the use of medical marijuana in Delaware (DEA Intelligence Report, 2016). The legislation permits patients to have only 6 ounces of marijuana for medical purposes. Meth is another widely consumed drug in the area. The drug is locally accessible in crystal and powder form. It is mainly brought into the city from Mexico. Outlawed gangs in secret laboratories take part in the production of these drugs.
How Drug Abuse Has Affected the Community
Family
Drug and substance abuse has affected the stability and unity of family members in Delaware. Many families in the community have crumbled down due to the effects of drug abuse. When one of the family members starts changing their behavior, the adjustment is felt by the whole family system. The bond that exists within a family may be adversely affected when one member misbehaves (Lander, Howsare & Byrne, 2013). For instance, the daughter may hate the father when he indulges in excessive alcohol intake. The daughter may feel depressed due to the father’s addiction. Another reason for disunity happens when the father is violent and abusive when under the influence of drugs. Women are mostly affected in such cases; increase in single mother families has hugely been noted to be on the rise within the community. A co-dependent relationship where primarily one of the parents is addicted to drugs while the other is keen to play the parental role in ensuring the children grow up well is hindered. The problem arises since there is a negative force playing a part (Lander, Howsare & Byrne, 2013). Therefore the children lack some of the necessities such health care, food, and clothing.
Many families in Delaware have also suffered due to death of their loved ones because of drug abuse. As illustrated in figure 1, drug-related deaths in Delaware due to overdose has increased significantly from 2012 to 2015 (DEA Intelligence Report, 2016). The deaths have resulted in more child custody cases. Moreover, drug addiction has resulted in more divorces in the community. The Increase in the number of street urchins has been on a steady increase. Majority of them left behind by parents who engaged in drug abuse.
Moreover, parents addicted to drug abuse usually suffer significant financial constraints in an attempt to cater for the availability of drugs and at the same time manage family wants (Lander, Howsare & Byrne, 2013). The predicament causes them to flee away from their homes leaving their kids with no one to care for them. Also, the addiction by the parent or guardian has led to them losing their jobs. As such, this has created a massive burden to their partners as they are forced to provide for the family solely. Quite some families in Delaware have faced problems of bankruptcy and foreclosure. Some have even lost their savings and pensions due to their loved one's addiction.
Figure 1: Deaths Caused Due to Drug Overdose in Delaware, 2012-2015
Source: Delaware Medical Examiner’s Office data obtained through the Delaware Division of Forensic Science, Department of Safety and Homeland Security
Education
In U.S.A alone it is projected that one in every four students aged between 12 to 20 years takes alcohol regularly (Balsa, Giulano & French, 2011). It is essential to understand the relationship between teenage or early childhood drinking and the educational performance of these teenagers. It has been suggested that early childhood drinking affects teenagers’ brain development which in turn hurts their educational achievement. Numerous studies have indicated that drug abuse reduces the number of years a student can learn and also the likelihood of the student finishing school.
Drug abuse by students in Delaware has resulted in an upward surge in indiscipline among students. It has led to higher absenteeism among students. Several students have faced a suspension due to indiscipline cases related to alcohol abuse. The constant abuse of drugs by students makes them susceptible to claims of indiscipline. In turn, this has had a heavy toll on their performance as most of the students with indiscipline issues also have low GPA’s. It naturally follows that drug abuse has an undesirable impact on the student's discipline and total overall academic performance.
Furthermore, drug abuse hampers student’s ability to concentrate on their studies and stay in school (Balsa, Giulano & French, 2011). Some high schools in the region have registered extreme dropout rates that are as a result of drug and substance abuse. Drug abuse is the leading cause of school dropout as most dropouts are consistent drug users. Drug users have a significantly lower chance of completing college with a degree as compared to their non-drug abusing counterparts.
Crime
Crime is usually wrongdoing or offense that is punishable by either the society or the government through the courts of law (Phillips, 2012). The correlation between drug abuse and crime is as evident as the light of day. Drug abuse, selling drugs or buying drugs is illegal in Delaware. Drug dealers consistently prey on the society to either provide them with the money to buy the drugs or give them a market for their products. It would be irrational to try and delink drugs and crime as the two go hand in hand. Drugs are consistently linked with different types of crime such as robbery with violence and assault.
Drugs are relatable to crime is three ways. The first one being user related crimes where the drug user under the influence of the drugs consumed commits a crime, for example, drunk driving (Phillips, 2012). Alcohol ranks highest among the most abused drugs in Delaware because it is legal and easily accessible. The second being economic-related crimes. It applies to addicts a lot, where they are forced to turn to crime to be able to feed off their habit. They engage in all forms of evil from petty crimes to major one in a bid to make money to be able to buy the drugs that they are helplessly hooked. The third and final one is system related crimes which revolve around drug rings. Offenses perpetrated in this case are mostly, making the drug, transporting it and selling it. It forms the backbone of drug abuse as it ensures the smooth supply of medications to all abusers.
Work and Employment
Work is any job or task carried out with the intent of accomplishing the desired result. On the other hand, employment can be said to be the deriving of an income from work (Baldwin, Marcus & De Simone, 2010). Drug abuse can be very hazardous to the work environment. It can result in unplanned problems for both the individual and business. It is estimated that in the United States alone, drugs and substance abuse leads to company losses totaling to over a hundred billion per year (Baldwin, Marcus & De Simone, 2010). The estimate is a massive amount of money that if invested in other areas by the organization can improve shareholder’s wealth.
In Delaware, drug abuse has been associated with many problems when it comes to employment. It has led to excessive expenses to meet the economic and health needs of the substance abusers. It threatens the job safety of both the abuser and his co-workers, therefore ending up impairing not only the abuser's job performance but also that of his co-workers. It has also resulted in the absenteeism of the abusers creating a backlog of work as he/she is unable to complete his job as duly expected. Drug abuse has also resulted in weak decision making which in turn costs employers a fortune. Affected organizations have to meet high staff turnover costs due to drug abusers who may be fired due to their unbecoming behavior at the workplace. Similarly, drug abusers tend to clash with their bosses for their inability to perform tasks.
Solutions to Drug and Substance Abuse in the Community
Drug and Substance abuse is a menace to any society in the world. Each community in the modern day era has struggling drug addicts. It is vital for communities to take steps to help prevent drug and substance abuse to ensure their steady growth and development. One way of combating drug abuse is dealing with peer pressure among young people (Johnson, Courser, Holder, Miller, Ogilvie, Moore, Collins, Saltz, Ogilvie & Saylor, 2007). It is vital for teenagers and all members of the society to be encouraged not to fall into this vice in a bid to be like their friends. Another way is by educating members of the community on how to deal with life pressures. It is essential to convince people that turning to drugs does not offer a solution but instead worsens the situation (Johnson et al., 2007). The other useful method is by reducing the risk factors that lead to drug abuse. It can be done by banning the sale of all drugs in public areas or discoursing the praising of the use of drugs by magazines, comics or even advertisements. These are just but a few measures the community can use to combat drug abuse. It is crucial for the society to recognize that drug addiction is a real menace that it must come together to fight in a bid to sustain and improve itself.
Conclusion
Drug and substance abuse in Delaware is a severe social problem with adverse effects. The most common forms of legal drugs easily accessible to people are cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana. The illegal types of drugs include cocaine, heroin, and meth. These drugs are either smoked, drank, sniffed or injected into the body. The most common consequences of drug abuse are poor health, deteriorated immune system, and ultimately death. Some addicts have also gone to the extent of contracting sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Drugs and substance abuse does affect not only an individual but also the entire society. Many families in Delaware have been negatively impacted due to alcoholism and consumption of other drugs. Moreover, these drugs have resulted in more crime and high school drop out rates in the region. To minimize these adverse effects, the community and local authority should hold seminars with young people to educate them on the implications of peer pressure. The approach will be helpful in ensuring students do not copy bad behaviors of their friends in a bid to please them. Also, the local authority should ban advertisements and events that promote the use of drugs in the society.
References
Baldwin, M. L., Marcus, S. C., & De Simone, J. (2010). Job loss discrimination and former substance use disorders. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 110(1-2), 1–7.
Balsa, A. I., Giuliano, L. M., & French, M. T. (2011). The effects of alcohol use on academic achievement in high school. Economics of Education Review, 30(1), 1–15.
DEA Intelligence Report (2016). The drug situation in Delaware. DEA, 046(16), 1-18.
Johnson, K., Courser, M., Holder, H., Miller, B., Ogilvie, K., Moore, R., Collins, D., Saltz, B., Ogilvie, D. and Saylor, B., 2007. A community prevention intervention to reduce youth from inhaling and ingesting harmful legal products. Journal of drug education, 37(3), pp.227-247.
Lander, L., Howsare, J., and Byrne, M. (2013). The impact of substance use disorders on families and children: From theory to practice. The West Virginia University School of Medicine, 28(0), 194-205.
Phillips, M. D. (2012). Assessing the Impact of Drug Use and Drug Selling on Violent Offending in a Panel of Delinquent Youth. Journal of Drug Issues, 42(3), 298–316.
