Drugs: A Major Problem In Canadian Society :: essays research papers fc

Drugs A Major Problem In Canadian SocietyA major problem that exists within Canadian society is the abuse of mind-altering substances. Such narcotics cause not only health problems, but alsoviolent and potentially criminal acts. A psychotropic narcotic can be definedas both the legal and illegal type. The four main categories of medicines atomic number 18narcotics, CNS depressants, CNS stimulants, and hallucinogens. Most of thesedrugs are highly addictive and are usually obtained by prescription or areconsidered a banned substance and must be purchased illegally.Users of many of the "harder" drugs macrocosm abused today also face the possibilityof an eventual overdose. An overdose is the ingestion of a lethal or mind-damaging amount of drugs. Once an all-inclusive addiction of these drugs occur, the userfaces withdrawal symptoms when a discontinuation of a drug transpires. This isdue to a reduction of the natural pain-killers that exist in the body of non-drug users. Th ese symptoms include chills, sweating, cramps, headaches,diarrhea and excessive vomiting. The treatment of drug addicts includes anextensive program of detoxification. Medical drugs, such as Naloxone, aresometimes given to patients to aid in overcoming these addictions. These drugsoccupy opiate receptors in the brain to block all effects of the damaging drugs,however the Naloxone is not an addictive drug, as the others are. The downfallto the medical drugs cosmos used to help addiction are that there effects arevery short-term and cannot cure the patient, but does assist in attaining thegoal of substituting a more controllable, less lethal drug as opposed to theoriginal narcotic .The key to preventing substance abuse in Canada is to educate the public, kinda at a young age, never to experiment with potentially life-threatingdrugs. This education can be attained within the pre-secondary schools. In 1988prime minister Brian Mulroney announced proposed Canadas Drug Strategy. Lawswere enacted, which prohibited the sale of drug paraphernalia and increased thepower of police to seize the assets of arrested drug offenders. The Strategyallocated the sum of $210 million in its commencement exercise five years (and an additional$270 million in 1992) mainly to the prevention, education and treatment of druguse, while 30 per cent of this money was intended for the conventional area oflaw enforcement.The goal of education within the school system should be to support thosestudents who are non-users with recognition and social activities that willencourage them to go forward non-users and to facilitate a belief and value systemthat incorporates concern for fellow students and residents of the community.Drug education should emphasise the negative aspects of drugs to give the