Drugs in the United States

Detroit police inspecting equipment found in a clandestine brewery during the Prohibition era.
US yearly overdose deaths, and the drugs involved. Among the more than 72,000 deaths estimated in 2017, the sharpest increase occurred among deaths related to fentanyl and synthetic opioids (> 29,000 deaths).[1]

In the United States, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act defined the word "drug" as an "article intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in man or other animals" and those "(other than food) intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of man or other animals."[2] Consistent with that definition, the U.S. separately defines narcotic drugs and controlled substances, which may include non-drugs, and explicitly excludes tobacco, caffeine and alcoholic beverages.[3]

Federal drug policy

War on Drugs

As part of the "War on Drugs", the U.S. gives hundreds of millions of dollars per year of military aid to Colombia, used to combat guerrilla groups such as FARC, involved in narcotics trafficking. Colin Powell is seen here visiting Colombia in 2006 in support of Plan Colombia.

The War on Drugs is a campaign of prohibition and foreign military aid and military intervention undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, and the stated aim to define and reduce the illegal drug trade.[4][5] This initiative includes a set of drug policies of the United States that are intended to discourage the production, distribution, and consumption of illegal psychoactive drugs. The term "War on Drugs" was first used by President Richard Nixon in 1971.

Drug courts

The first Drug court in the United States took shape in Miami-Dade County, Florida in 1989 as a response to the growing crack-cocaine problem plaguing the city. Chief Judge Gerald Wetherington, Judge Herbert Klein, then State Attorney Janet Reno and Public Defender Bennett Brummer designed the court for nonviolent offenders to receive treatment. This model of court system quickly became a popular method for dealing with an ever increasing number of drug offenders. Between 1984 and 1999, the number of defendants charged with a drug offense in the Federal courts increased 3% annually, from 11,854 to 29,306. By 1999 there were 472 Drug Courts in the nation and by 2005 that number had increased to 1262 with another 575 Drug Courts in the planning stages; currently all 50 states have working Drug Courts. There are currently about 120,000 people treated annually in Drug Courts, though an estimated 1.5 million eligible people are currently before the courts. There are currently more than 2,400 Drug Courts operating throughout the United States.

Pharmacological drugs

Doping in sports

Doping is the taking of performance-enhancing drugs, generally for sporting activities. Doping has been detected in many sporting codes, especially baseball and football.

Recreational drugs by type

Alcohol

Cigarette smokers as a percentage of the population for the United States as compared with the Netherlands, Norway, Japan, and Finland.

Cannabis

Total yearly U.S. drug deaths. More than 72,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2017.[1]

Cocaine

Methamphetamine

Tobacco

Drug use and deaths per state

StatePopulation (2010)Drug Users (2010)Drug Deaths (Total 2010)Drug Deaths (per 100,000)Federal Grants (2010)Grant/Drug User
 Alabama4,779,73606.73%[6]55412$80,040,503$248.82
 Alaska710,23111.79%[7]7511$30,760,934$367.36
 Arizona6,392,01708.95%[8]98115.5$138,524,069$242.36
 Arkansas2,915,91807.96%[9]32611.5$47,138,163$203.09
 California37,253,95609.07%[10]417811.4$832,107,905$246.26
 Colorado5,029,19611.72%[11]74715.4$111,188,470$188.64
 Connecticut3,574,09708.23%[12]44412.7$103,493,029$351.84
 Delaware897,93409.14%[13]10211.8$24,161,839$294.40
 Florida18,801,31007.80%[14]293616.1$338,129,029$230.57
 Georgia (U.S. state)9,687,65307.32%[15]104310.6$321,114,660$452.83
 Hawaii1,360,30109.92%[16]14211.1$37,176,146$275.50
 Idaho1,567,58208.00%[17]1338.9$21,076,027$168.06
 Illinois12,830,63207.17%[18]12399.6$234,968,808$255.41
 Indiana6,483,80208.79%[19]82713.0$91,020,232$159.71
 Iowa3,046,35504.08%[20]2117.1$58,962,185$474.39
 Kansas2,853,11806.77%[21]29410.6$40,234,098$208.30
 Kentucky4,339,36708.41%[22]72217$100,547,625$275.52
 Louisiana4,533,37207.16%[23]86220.1$80,230,847$247.18
 Maine1,328,36109.09%[24]16112.2$36,320,286$300.79
 Maryland5,773,55207.29%[25]80712.7$192,136,722$456.50
 Massachusetts6,547,62908.87%[26]100315.6$245,061,344$421.96
 Michigan9,883,64008.95%[27]152415.3$243,556,706$275.33
 Minnesota5,303,92508.24%[28]3596.9$95,867,509$219.35
 Mississippi2,967,29706.39%[29]33411.4$50,554,343$266.62
 Missouri5,988,92707.38%[30]73012.4$123,020,244$278.34
 Montana989,41510.02%[31]13213.8$28,332,837$285.79
 Nebraska1,826,34106.43%[32]925.2$34,675,170$295.27
 Nevada2,700,55109.35%[33]51520.1$46,367,799$183.63
 New Hampshire1,316,47012.15%[34]17213.0$55,388,743$346.29
 New Jersey8,791,89406.42%[35]7979.2$113,795,702$201.61
 New Mexico2,059,17910.07%[36]44712.8$150,896,974$727.71
 New York19,378,10209.82%[37]17979.2$1,875,136,099$985.39
 North Carolina9,535,48308.88%[38]122313.0$403,912,656$477.01
  North Dakota672,59105.3%[39]284.3$36,344,108$1,019.55
 Ohio11,536,50407.61%[40]169114.7$207,925,242$236.84
 Oklahoma3,751,35108.09%[41]68719$67,359,062$221.95
 Oregon3,831,07412.80%[42]56415.1$104,298,167$212.69
 Pennsylvania12,702,37906.57%[43]181214.6$283,229,043$339.38
 Rhode Island1,052,56713.34%[44]14213.4$43,604,718$310.55
 South Carolina4,625,36406.70%[45]58413.2$77,790,340$251.02
 South Dakota814,18006.28%[46]344.3$31,840,106$622.72
 Tennessee6,346,10508.22%[47]103516.8$107,211,391$205.52
 Texas25,145,56106.26%[48]23439.8$384,444,836$244.23
 Utah2,763,88506.24%[49]54620.6$47,059,651$272.86
 Vermont625,74113.73%[50]579.2$58,913,913$685.73
 Virginia8,001,02407.33%[51]7139.2$173,221,243$295.36
 Washington6,724,54009.59%[52]100315.5$130,527,165$202.40
 West Virginia1,852,99406.79%[53]40522.4$45,059,469$358.13
 Wisconsin5,686,98608.67%[54]63911.4$107,259,369$217.54
 Wyoming563,62606.82%[55]6813$12,483,581$324.76
 United States308,143,81508.11%3826012.4$8,304,469,106$332.19

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Overdose Death Rates. By National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
  2. ↑ "Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act" U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved on 24 September 2007.
  3. ↑ "21 USC Sec. 802." U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved on 24 September 2007.
  4. ↑ Cockburn and St. Clair, 1998: Chapter 14
  5. ↑ Bullington, Bruce; Alan A. Block (March 1990). "A Trojan horse: Anti-communism and the war on drugs". Crime, Law and Social Change. Springer Netherlands. 14 (1): 39–55. doi:10.1007/BF00728225. ISSN 1573-0751.
  6. ↑ Alabama Drug Control Update
  7. ↑ Alaska Drug Control Update
  8. ↑ Arizona Drug Control Update
  9. ↑ Arkansas Drug control Update
  10. ↑ California Drug Control Update
  11. ↑ Colorado Drug Control Update
  12. ↑ Connecticut Drug Control Update
  13. ↑ Delaware Drug Control Update
  14. ↑ Florida Drug Control Update
  15. ↑ Georgia Drug Control Update
  16. ↑ Hawaii Drug Control Update
  17. ↑ Idaho Drug Control Update
  18. ↑ Illinois Drug Control Update
  19. ↑ Indiana Drug Control Update
  20. ↑ Iowa Drug Control Update
  21. ↑ Kansas Drug Control Update
  22. ↑ Kentucky Drug Control Update
  23. ↑ Louisiana Drug Control Update
  24. ↑ Maine Drug Control Update Archived September 22, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
  25. ↑ Maryland Drug Control Update
  26. ↑ Massachusetts Drug Control Update
  27. ↑ Michigan Drug Control Update Archived January 27, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
  28. ↑ Minnesota Drug Control Update
  29. ↑ Mississippi Drug Control Update
  30. ↑ Missouri Drug Control Update
  31. ↑ Montana Drug Control Update
  32. ↑ Nebraska Drug Control Update
  33. ↑ Nevada Drug Control Update
  34. ↑ New Hampshire Drug Control Update
  35. ↑ New Jersey Drug Control Update
  36. ↑ New Mexico Drug Control Update
  37. ↑ New York Drug Control Update
  38. ↑ North Carolina Drug Control Update
  39. ↑ North Dakota Drug Control Update
  40. ↑ Ohio Drug Control Update
  41. ↑ Oklahoma Drug Control Update
  42. ↑ Oregon Drug Control Update
  43. ↑ Pennsylvania Drug Control Update
  44. ↑ Rhode Island Drug Control Update
  45. ↑ South Carolina Drug Control Update
  46. ↑ South Dakota Drug Control Update
  47. ↑ Tennessee Drug Control Update
  48. ↑ Texas Drug Control Update
  49. ↑ Utah Drug Control Update
  50. ↑ Vermont Drug Control Update
  51. ↑ Virginia Drug Control Update
  52. ↑ Washington Drug Control Update
  53. ↑ West Virginia Drug Control Update
  54. ↑ Wisconsin Drug Control Update
  55. ↑ Wyoming Drug Control Update

Further reading

  • DeGrandpre, Richard J (2006). The cult of pharmacology : how America became the world's most troubled drug culture. Durham: Duke University Press. ISBN 9780822338819.
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