Drug Use And Drug Related Public Health Concerns Essay

Dominique Cameron-Johnson Dr. K.H. Hall English 101 – Index 1293 14 December 2016 Persuasive Essay Countries all over the world are dealing with a rise of drug use and drug-related public health concerns. Many nations adopt vaguely similar methods of battling the â€Å"War on Drugs†, from strict border control to harsh criminal punishments for drug-related offenders, violent or not. Even with these efforts put in place, many places are not seeing the desired results. Drug use is mainly treated like a crime, and that may be the problem. Countries that have concerns with rising drug use among their citizens should follow Portugal in decriminalizing the possession and use of small quantities of all illicit drugs. Portugal was in the midst of a drug crisis. A large number Portuguese people that returned to Portugal after the military dictatorship that ended in 1974 were using drugs. (Thornton) Hard drugs were getting into the country easily due to open borders. The country saw a surge in numerous public health concerns such as drug abuse, addiction, overdosing, and new cases of HIV/AIDS. â€Å"In 1999, nearly one per cent of the population—a hundred thousand people—were heroin addicts, and Portugal reported the highest rate of drug-related AIDS deaths in the European Union.† (Spector) Initially, the government responded with traditional methods of drug control- policies that criminalized drug users harshly with prison and fines, (Aleem) but the policies weren’t working very well. TheShow MoreRelatedPublic Health Issues Are Concerns On How To Protect The1749 Words   |  7 Pages Public health issues are concerns on how to protect the health of the people in society . Public health communities focus more attention on the victim who has health issues related to drug addictions, alcohol, and mental and physical problems. Public health issues are more concerned with the health consequences related to these addictions, abuse, and problems. 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