FREE ESSAY ON DRUG USE

DRUG USE

Drug abuse takes a toll on society that can only be partially measured. While we are able
to estimate the number of drug-related crimes that occur each year, we can never
determine fully the extent to which the quality of life in America's neighborhoods has
been diminished by drug-related criminal behavior. With the exception of drug-related
homicides, which have declined in recent years, drug-related crime is continuing at a
strong and steady pace. 
Numerous Drug-Related Arrests Occur Each Year. In 1994, state and local law enforcement
agencies made an estimated 1.14 million arrests for drug law violations. The largest
percentage of these arrests were for drug possession (75.1 percent).45 
Arrestees Frequently Test Positive for Recent Drug Use. The National Institute of Justice
Drug Use Forecasting (DUF) program calculates the percentage of arrested individuals
whose urine indicates drug use. In 1995, DUF data collected from male arrestees in
twenty-three cities showed that the percentage testing positive for any drug ranged from
51 percent to 83 percent. Female arrestees ranged from 41 percent to 84 percent. Among
males, arrestees charged with drug possession or sale were most likely to test positive
for drug use. Among females, arrestees charged with prostitution, drug possession or sale
were most likely to test positive for drug use. Both males and females arrested for
robbery, burglary, and stealing vehicles had high positive rates.46 
Drug Offenders Crowd the Nation's Prisons and Jails. At midyear 1996, there were 93,167
inmates in federal prisons, 1,019,281 in state prisons, and 518,492 in jails.47 In 1994,
59.5 percent of federal prisoners were drug offenders48 as were 22.3 percent of the
inmates in state prisons.49 The increase in drug offenders accounts for nearly three
quarters of the total growth in federal prison inmates since 1980. Most drug offenders
are imprisoned for possessing more drugs than possibly could be consumed by one
individual distributing drugs or committing serious crimes related to drug sales. In
1995, for example, only 4,040 people were sentenced in federal courts for
marijuana-related charges; 89.1 percent of those offenders were facing trafficking
charges.50 
Inmates in Federal and State Prisons were often under the Influence of Drugs when they
Committed Offenses. A 1991 survey of federal and state prisons, found that drug
offenders, burglars, and robbers in state prisons were the most likely to report being
under the influence of drugs while committing crimes. Inmates in state prisons who had
been convicted of homicide, assault, and public order offenses were least likely to
report being under the influence of drugs. With the exception of burglars, federal prison
inmates were less likely than state inmates to have committed offenses under the
influence of drugs.51 
Offenders Often Commit Offenses to Support Drug Habits. According to a 1991 joint survey
of federal and state prison inmates, an estimated 10 percent of federal prisoners and 17
percent of state prisoners reported committing offenses in order to pay for drugs.52 
Drug Trafficking Generates Violent Crime. Trafficking in illicit drugs is often
associated with violent crime. Reasons for this relationship include competition for drug
markets and customers, disputes among individuals involved with illegal drugs, and the
location of drug markets in disadvantaged areas where legal and social controls against
violence tend to be ineffective. The proliferation of lethal weapons in recent years has
also made drug violence more deadly. 
Drug-Related Homicides Have Declined. There was a steady decline in drug-related homicide
between 1989 and 1995. The Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) indicated that of 21,597 homicides
committed in 1995 in which the circumstances of the crime were known, 1,010 (or 4.7
percent) involved drugs. This figure was significantly lower than 7.4 percent in 1989.53

Money Laundering Harms Financial Institutions. Money laundering involves disguising
financial assets so they can be used without the illegal activity that produced them
being detected. Money laundering provides financial fuel not only for drug dealers but
for terrorists, arms dealers, and other criminals who operate and expand criminal
enterprises. Drug trafficking generates tens of billions of dollars a year; the total
amount of money involved cannot be calculated precisely. In September 1996, the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) estimated that 60 percent of the money laundering cases it
investigated during that fiscal year were drug-related.54