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Samantha Johnston

ENGL 2010

Professor Roberts

April 24, 2020

Drug Addiction: How Can We Help

There has been and always will be a war on drugs in the world. Starting in June of 1971,

President Richard Nixon declared that drugs were the number one enemy to the public (Editors

of Encyclopedia). Many people are addicted to or make their living off selling drugs. Many types

of dangerous drugs have been illegal for a long time, however, people still use them illegally

because it is such a big part of their life. With the laws put on dangerous drugs, there is a big

question of how to handle drug addicts who become incarcerated. This is an important topic in

the world today and since I was a volunteer working with elementary schools to teach kids to say

no to drugs, I wanted to see if there were ways to help those who are incarcerated and need help

overcoming addiction, as well how to prevent the use of drugs by implementing more programs

in schools that teach about the dangers of drug use.

The first thing that needs to change is that there needs to be more research done on

addiction. Addiction is very complicated and very personal to each person who is affected. More

and more people who are facing huge mental, physical, or emotional challenges, believe that

drugs can relieve them of their problems. We need to squash this idea. According to The Center

on Addiction, over 40 million Americans aged 12 and older, have a drug addiction. That is about

12% of Americans. That may not sound like a big number, but if nothing is done soon, that

number will continually increase at a very rapid rate. There has been so much research on how

drugs affect the human body and brain, but there is not as much research about how to help those
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who are addicted to drugs. This is very sad because we know that drugs are very bad for our

bodies, but some people still become addicted and really need our help. Addiction programs are

much needed and are worth the money spent to implement them.

Implementing school programs to say no to drugs can be a very powerful tool to help

prevent the use of drugs. It can be difficult to talk to young kids about the dangers of drug use,

but it is so important. There are great programs out there, like D.A.R.E., drug abuse resistance

education, but there needs to be more than a once a year introductory course to a program.

Teaching kids about drugs is a process and needs to be talked about a lot more to actually make a

difference. “One of the most important things to do is have the community come together, have

police officers, public figures, and lessons in the classroom” (Best Drug Rehabilitation). One

thing I have found when working with the elementary schools is that kids often don’t really

know what drugs are. “So, to help educate kids, there needs to first be an open line of

communication where they feel safe. Then, define what drugs are, what addiction is, and that the

media glamorizes drugs and alcohol and that is not reality” (Narconon). Once we really educate

the students in grave detail about drugs, there will be a decrease in the use of drugs, especially

for those of young age.

With an increased focus on preventing drug use, we can then look at the problems that

are already at hand today in the jail system.“About 65 percent of inmates are medically found to

have an addiction and only 11 percent get the treatment they need for their addiction while in

jail” (Addiction Campuses). From this we learn that there are rehabilitation options that are

sometimes given to arrestees, but 11 percent is a very low number. Over the years, there has been

an increase in the amount of drug policies put in place. This is to help stop the use of dangerous
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drugs, but as we all know, drug use is inevitable. There needs to be a better way to give good

treatment to more people.

With the increased number of drug policies, more people are being arrested for being in

possession of illegal drugs.“The number of people arrested for illegal drug possession has

increased by over 400,000 people in a 30 year span. Many studies have shown that 63-83 percent

of people arrested have drugs in their system” (The Center for Prisoners and Human Rights). So,

not only are an increased amount of people being arrested for just having possession of illegal

drugs, those who are committing non-drug related crimes are under the influence of drugs.

Obviously, those who commit crimes are arrested and sent to jail. However, many people think

that if you send addicts to jail it will “scare” them enough to stop using illegal substances. But,

this tactic does not work. According to the Justice Research and Statistics Association, 57% of

inmates who received drug rehab were rearrested within a 12-month period, while 75% with no

rehab were rearrested in the same time frame. There is a significant difference in crime rates for

addicts who receive help and addicts that do not.

A study was done by researchers at RTI International, which is a non-profit center with

headquarters in North Carolina that provides research and testing, on the benefits and costs of

substance abuse rehab centers for state prison inmates. It is a very interesting study and I

encourage everyone to look into it. This study was a lifetime study showing if implementing

substance abuse treatment for inmates would be cost efficient. These researchers found that in

relation to the baseline costs now, rehab for inmates would be beneficial. “Greater access to

more effective prison treatment and greater access to aftercare yield the largest cost savings.

These savings are driven by reductions in crimes committed, which translate into lower policing,

adjudication, and incarceration costs” (Zarkin). I am not an expert in this kind of research, but
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the statistics and facts given in this research have proved that using drug addiction treatment for

inmates is cost effective and helps addicts recover quicker than just being sent to jail.

Rehabilitation is a very complex conversation. There is no real definition for “rehab

success.” This can make it hard to calculate accurate success rates in rehabilitation centers.

According to Addiction Campuses, whether or not rehab is successful is very personal and

unique to the patient and the program they choose. Many centers place the blame on the patient if

they relapse after completing the program, so it was a success for the center, but not really a

success for the patient. Addiction affects the human brain and body and can be extremely hard to

overcome and these rehab centers provide better help than what jail has to offer. There are a lot

of people who will relapse because addiction is so powerful and many might argue that

rehabilitation does not work when people relapse. However, this is not true. “Relapse doesn’t

always mean treatment failed. Sometimes a person makes great progress but needs more time to

fully heal. Sometimes they relapse but are able to regain sobriety on their own because of the

skills they learned in rehab” (Addiction Campuses).

Drugs have a powerful hold over those who are addicted. Not only are their lives

affected, but their loved ones, their neighbors, and even strangers on the street can feel the

effects of someone with a drug addiction. Teaching young kids about the dangers and

consequences of drugs can have a huge impact on their decisions in life. If we can prevent the

use of drugs in even one child’s life, we are taking a hold on the drug war going on today. Many

of those addicted to drugs will be arrested for possession of illegal drugs, or be under the

influence and commit a crime. If we want to help stop the crime rates and use of drugs, we need

to help those who are suffering with drug addiction. There needs to be more awareness in the
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public on drugs and there needs to be more rehabilitation options for inmates. If we want our

society to be better, there needs to be changes made.

Works Cited

“Addiction Recovery In Inmate Populations: Helping To Break The Cycle.” Addiction Campuses,
27 Sept. 2019, www.addictioncampuses.com/addiction-resources/recovery-for-inmates/.
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American Addiction Centers Editorial Staff. “Alcohol and Drug Rehab Instead of Jail.”
Luxury.Rehabs.com, Rehabs.com, 13 June 2018, luxury.rehabs.com/alcohol-
rehab/rehab-instead-of-jail/.

“Drug Rehab Success Rates.” Addiction Campuses, 30 Mar. 2020,

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “War on Drugs.” Encyclopædia Britannica,

Gogek, Ed. “To Treat Drug Addiction, We'll Still Need Jail Time.” Newsweek, Newsweek, 30
Apr. 2016, www.newsweek.com/treat-drug-addiction-well-still-need-jail-time-392635.

“How to Educate Kids About Drugs.” Narconon Suncoast, www.narconon-suncoast.org/why-

“Incarceration, Substance Abuse, and Addiction.” The Center for Prisoner Health and Human
Rights, www.prisonerhealth.org/educational-resources/factsheets-2/incarceration-
substance-abuse-and-addiction/.

Ireta, Ireta. “The 'Treat v. Punish' Debate Is Nothing New. But What Is Good Treatment? IRETA:
Institute for Research, Education & Training in Addictions.” IRETA, 20 Apr. 2017,
ireta.org/resources/the-treat-v-punish-debate-is-nothing-new-but-what-is-good-
treatment/.

National Library of Medicine, June 2012, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3165106/.

Ren. “Going from Punishment to Treatment.” Narconon International, Narconon International,

Staff, Edited by Editorial. “Drug Rehab Success Rates and Statistics.” American Addiction
Centers, americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/success-rates-and-statistics.

“Teaching Kids About Drugs - Resources.” Best Drug Rehabilitation, 2015,

“What Is Addiction.” Center on Addiction, 25 Apr. 2018, www.centeronaddiction.org/addiction?

Zarkin, Gary A, et al. “Benefits and Costs of Substance Abuse Treatment Programs for State
Prison Inmates: Results from a Lifetime Simulation Model.” Health Economics, U.S.