Drugs in the 80s of America (Research Paper Sample)

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Drugs in the 80s of America
Drug abuse is a problem that has faced America for many years. The 1980s saw a major increase in these cases as teenagers and youths were found to be the most vulnerable members of the population. During these earlier years, marijuana was the most prominently abused drug but as time progressed, the use of other drugs such as cocaine also increased. Some of the drugs used up to date are those that were introduced in America in 1980s. Specifically, research showed that the number of Americans who used drugs for one reason or another increased during the early 1980s. Some scholars have since argued that baby boomers played a critical role on this kind of trend because drug use increased with the increase of the baby boomers. Many stories surround the introduction of various drugs in the US, and the most interesting facts are about how and why crack cocaine, marijuana and other drugs such as steroids were abused during this era. As drug abuse became a national concern, drug control measures were taken against drug traffickers in attempts to curb the problem. The discussion on drug abuse, as well as the introduction of different drugs in America was important in the 1980s because it was the beginning of the federal government’s long struggle to eradicate the problem. The issue still affects us today because the efforts made by the government to end the problem are still evident up to this date and continue to cost the country many resources apart from being one of the hotly debated issues in the country.
The problem of drug abuse started many years ago but became a national concern in the 1980s as many individuals abused drugs for different reasons. Some scholars argue that the reason behind the incorporation of crack cocaine in the market was "due to its psychopharmacological characteristics”, among other arguments put forth (Curtis 39). Use of cocaine had been in existent, and ‘freebase’ cocaine was widely smoked in the earlier years before the introduction of crack cocaine in the 1980s. As discussed by Curtis (39), "the emergence of crack cocaine can be attributed to several factors that can be interpreted in terms of geographic locations and other market trends across the US”. For example, at the time when crack cocaine was being introduced, most drug users heavily used marijuana that was a bit cheaper than the normal cocaine at this time. Crack cocaine was introduced by traders who believed that they could find another alternative to marijuana because its supply was dwindling, and crack cocaine would come with better prices to attract customers. The distributors believed that consumers would be more elated with something cheaper than what they were already having. ‘Freebase’ cocaine, which was majorly used by the affluent members of the society, was very expensive for the rest of the common population and crack cocaine would come as a cheaper alternative.
Other theorists point out the fact that traders from Bahamas shared the idea of crack cocaine with local US traders. In 1983, the production and distribution of freebase cocaine was on the rise, and due to increased supply of cocaine in Bahamas, prices declined. The traders shifted to crack cocaine because they saw it as another product that would bring them more profits as opposed to freebase. As discussed by Cooper (22), "these traders knew that crack would be easier and cheaper to produce." All the above presented arguments about how and why crack cocaine was introduced in the US help us understand the importance of introducing this drug in the market, and the impact these drugs had on the country during those days up to now. It is evident that the drug was majorly introduced due to economic reasons.
While various researchers point out different reasons for the introduction of the drug, most of the arguments put forward show that the drug traffickers were mainly focusing on economic gains. As discussed above, use of freebase cocaine was majorly confined among those who could afford it, and introducing a cheaper form of cocaine meant that the common population would purchase it and continue to act as a target market. Though these plans worked well and boosted the traders’ gains, it was evident through research that the drug had negative effects on the common population. It was these perceived negative impacts that elicited so many concerns from the government who took action against the drug traffickers and the addicts. Up to this day, the government still uses a lot of resources in trying to eradicate the problem that has proved to stay with us amidst the efforts.
As discussed by Cooper (35), crack abuse was considered a national epidemic by around 1986 and 1986. This shows the extent at which the drug affected the US population during this era. When something like drug abuse is considered a pandemic, it shows the extent at which it negatively affects the society. It is true to assert that the drug brought many effects to the common populace, and that is why even the US congress took stern measures against use of illicit drugs in the 1980s. Towards the end of 1987, various media houses, researchers, magazines and newsletters raised concerns about the increased abuse of crack. However, some researchers and government departments such as the DEA came out and refuted these claims by asserting that crack abuse was not a national disaster.
The DEA, for example, published a report stating that use of cocaine was evident in thirteen cities, with urban areas having most of these cases. The DEA also noted that the media had elated people’s perceptions on crack abuse. Whether they labeled crack abuse as a national disaster or not does not affect the fact that use of the drug increased in the years between 1981 and 1987. When we examine these issues in broader perspective based on the effects and the public’s reaction towards the drugs, it is evident that crack abuse and misuse of other illicit drugs had considerable effects on the users, a matter that became so evident in this era.
Although cocaine and marijuana were among the major drugs during this era, others such as Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) were also used. Use of AAS had been noted as early as 1960s among sport enthusiasts who used it as a performance booster. In fact, the athletes who used the drug showed improved performance in their sporting career. Many researchers have since studied AAS and its effects, and the most notable impacts of the drug on mental health have since been noted. These include anxiety, overconfidence, depression, cognitive impairment among others. A study conducted on the athletes who abused the drug between 1960 and 1979 in Sweden after a period of about thirty years after they used the drug reveals that most of these respondents had, at one time in their lives, reported mental health problems and had sought medical attention (Lindqvist et al., 2015). Several studies have also indicated that some of the past AAS users had been diagnosed with psychiatric disorders. This confirms that though the drug was widely used by athletes and others, there were considerable consequences that followed its use, and it can be proved that these consequences continued to manifest themselves on the common population in the 1980s and now.
Apart from health issues, use of steroids by professional athletes elicited so many reactions from the athletics departments. Some of these athletes had to withdraw from the competition because of the newly introduced strict regulations as regards drug use. Major cases happened in 1980 when most athletes tested positive for use of various drugs. In 1983, during Venezuela championships, several athletes tested positive for steroid use and had to withdraw from the games. Nineteen athletes from different countries including the US tested positive during this event. In 1987, several people, together with an Olympic medalist David Jenkins, were charged with producing, distributing and smuggling various drugs, including steroids. A year later, the world was shocked after an announcement that a world champion in 100m race, Ben Johnson, had tested positive for use of steroids. This followed the nullification of the results for that year.
These cases show the extent at which so many athletes were affected in their professional journey. For most of them, it meant an end to their profession because the strict laws that followed these incidences did not condone such malpractices (Houlihan 47). Furthermore, the athletes suffered social pressure because once they were discovered that they were relying on these drugs, their reputation were ruined. They therefore suffered from "low public acceptance" as opined by Peters (239). As witnessed in today’s sports, some of the athletes undergo similar experiences as those of the 1980s. It shows the influence that the introduction of drugs in the US during this era has had on the country’s history. Someone can clearly see how these historic happenings continue to manifest themselves in the current affairs.
In the late 1980s, anabolic steroid abuse was widespread. In early 1990s, several surveys were conducted and evidence revealed that drug use was so rampant in professional sport. Several sport organizations and government departments such as the DEA were forced to take stern measures against drug use. The decisions made in the late 1970s that anabolic steroids were not performance boosters were revised and a new way of assessing the drug emerged. This came in 1984 when the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) announced that anabolic steroids could be regarded as performance boosters then. The enactment of several federal laws also worsened the situation for these athletes because use of drugs that altered the normal s...