Drug Addiction Statistics

It is clear that addiction is not simply the product of a failure of individual willpower. It is properly viewed as a disease and one that physicians can help many individuals control and overcome. The nature of illness is very important to the argument in favor of decriminalization. Statistics shows the nature of abuse it be to narcotics or cocaine and the very large number of Americans using drugs (The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that one in six working Americans has a substance abuse problem), laws restricting their possession and sale have had predictable consequences--- most of them bad.

According to statistics recently cited by the American Medical Association, Latin American countries produced between 162,000 and 211,400 metric tons of cocaine in 1987. That is five times the amount needed to supply the US market. Perhaps the most tragic victims of our drug laws are children. Many, for example, have been killed as innocent bystanders in gun battles among traffickers. Keeping drugs outlawed has not kept them out of children�s hands.

Recent statistics in both Maryland and Baltimore prove the point: in a 1986-87 survey of Maryland adolescents, 13 percent of eight graders, 18.5percent of tenth graders and 22.3percent of twelfth graders report that they are currently using drugs. In Baltimore, the percentages are 16.6, 16.5 and 20.3 respectively. It should be noted that these numbers exclude alcohol and tobacco, and that current use means at least once a month.

When alcohol was prohibited throughout the country, the cocaine� stepped in as the rescuer. Cocaine, in fact, was considered as a remedy for addiction to other substances. Coca-cola contained cocaine until 1903 and was very popular. These have resulted in our confinement of 2,000,000 Americans. 80% of people behind bars were involved with alcohol and other drugs at the time their crimes were committed according to the study at Columbia University.

Moreover, at an average approximately 50% of mental fitness patrons will have problems stemming from their own or a family member�s alcoholism addiction. Alcohol is associated with 50% of the homicides, 30% of child abuse cases, around 30% of large urban hospital admissions, 37% of the rapes, 67% of partner assaults, 40% of traffic fatalities and 36% of all crimes for which there were convictions. America itself has 13 � 16 million addicted citizens in need of treatment and only about 3 million of them get help and often that help is not broad enough to effectively help them all. Meanwhile, 70% of the federal expenditure on drug problems is going to law enforcement instead of to treatment where it would be some good.