Traffic, the movie we started in class today, deals with the effect of the drug trade at nearly every level of American society and throughout the international community. Before we begin to analyze characters or communities and other factors in the film, let's deal with something right up front.
Namely, President Nixon identified "drug abuse as public enemy number one" in a 1971 speech that started what we today call "The War on Drugs." But do you think we still view drug abuse as a significant "public enemy" in America? Why or why not?
Just as importantly, do you personally think that America has a drug problem based on what you've seen in your lives and what you know in our society, and especially based on what you've experienced in affluent communities around Atlanta and at Paideia (communities none too different than the affluent prep school realm of Robert Wakefield's daughter)? What do folks in high schools in the country and at Paideia today think about drugs?
Please respond with a thorough and thoughtful answer.
(Note: Let's be honest regarding the question about affluent communities in Atlanta and at Paideia. It's key for us to have an honest conversation about this without any of you having to mention ANY specifics like names in any way.)
Although an extremely bad thing to get involved with, over the last few years drugs are beginning to seem less like a public enemy. While the dangerous drugs like Cocaine, LSD, ecstasy, etc. still are still viewed negatively, marijuana, the most popular drug, isn’t viewed as a public enemy. Unlike other drugs, marijuana doesn’t have any obvious effects on the body. In fact, marijuana has already been legalized in two states, and many more states will most likely legalize it as well. Also, marijuana has been proven to benefit people in moderation. Medical marijuana can be prescribed by doctors. The reason Drugs are no longer a public enemy is because the most popular drug is a seemingly harmless drug.
ReplyDeleteI believe that America doesn’t have a drug problem. That might be true or it could just be me being ignorant. While dependence and addiction to drugs is horrendous and sad, I believe that not enough people do it to give America a “drug problem.” While I would think that many high school students experiment with drugs, I believe not enough of them are addicted to drugs for America to have a drug problem. It is tragic that there are lots of students that do drugs but there aren’t enough people that do drugs in the US for the US to have a drug problem.
I believe that over the past few years, mostly the 2010s, drugs have become less and less of a 'public enemy' in the average person's view. What immediately comes to mind is marijuana, which has been thought of as bad for a long time, but which is now seen as something deserving legalization by a large amount of people. Many people smoke marijuana, and in two states it has been legalized. This particularly has made drugs less sinister in the public eye. With marijuana seen as so harmless, people tend not to think about harder drugs as much. For instance, methamphetamine and cocaine are often used in America, but people aren't as adamant about fighting a 'war' on hard drugs as they were in the late 80s to the early 2000s. In a sense, America does have a bit of a drug problem. Not everybody in the country is doing drugs, of course, but many drugs are used and there is a large drug trafficking black market in the USA. The problem definitely isn't as major as it was made out to be by the so-called War on Drugs, but it is still a bit of a problem in America.
ReplyDeleteDrugs are definitely still seen as an enemy in the US. Of course, hard core drugs are seen as terrible and there’s a lot of publicity about the dangers of these drugs: everybody has seen and been scarred for life by at least one ‘meth not even once’ ad at some point. That beings said, in some cases, specifically marijuana, the public attitude towards drugs is becoming more lenient. In marijuana’s case, it’s medicinal uses and non-addictive properties have allowed its legalization in many states, but it’s definitely in the minority and America still views drugs as an enemy. Personally I think that there is definitely a drug problem in America to some extent. I come from a family that suffers genetically from addiction so maybe it’s just my personal connections but I think far too many Americans suffer from addictions or use drugs regularly. When you look at High Schools around the nation I think you’d find different opinions on drugs, especially on different types of drugs. I think many more high schoolers are okay with substances like marijuana and alcohol than they are with more hardcore drugs.
ReplyDeleteDrugs have been relevant for a long time and will always have their place in society. However, to call them an enemy seems a little strong. Yes, drugs can be dangerous and are not the best things to get involved with but they are not an enemy to the public. For instance, marijuana, probably the most popular drug, has been legalized in two states which basically tells Americans that it is safe to use, if you are over 21 of course. Marijuana is also the easiest drug to obtain, especially for high school aged kids. America does not have a drug problem. There are people in America with drug problems but drugs are certainly not taking over the country in any way. I also don't think that Paideia has a drug problem because, to my knowledge, the kids that do drugs only smoke weed and don't do any hard drugs. I know that sounds bad but in reality, despite it being illegal, smoking weed isn't that horrible for you; it's not like cocaine or heroin where doing it once will get you addicted. If it was that bad for you, medicinal marijuana wouldn't be a thing that doctors would prescribe to their patients. Now, I am NOT advocating for kids our age to smoke weed because I think kids should be able to have fun without having to use a substance but I do think that there are definitely worse things that kids could be doing with their time. Lastly, I personally think that the "War on Drugs" is a waste of the American Government's time and money because nobody will ever be able to get rid of drugs and nobody will ever be able to stop people who want to do them from doing drugs.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhile I think that drug abuse is still a very important topic that the government needs to deal with, it isn’t quite a public enemy anymore. I think that other things, like the War on Terror, kind of put the War on Drugs on the back-burner. Drugs are beginning to become more accepted in our society, as evident from the legalization of marijuana in some states. I won’t say that drugs do not exist in affluent societies, but I don't think that they are nearly as much of a threat as the movie poses. The intense drugs that the people in high school in the movie are doing are not the norm for most people in high school. The kids in the movie seem to be doing hard drugs almost every weekend. The drugs that are more common and more widely accepted among people in high schools around us are the drugs that society is beginning to accept - like marijuana. And while marijuana is still illegal in many places and I’m not condoning it, it does not nearly have the same possible fatal effects as some other drugs. Unfortunately some people actually do the hard drugs that are shown in the movie, which is a problem. The drug problem in total even appears to be getting worse. Not only are the drugs themselves bad, the movement of them is very dangerous. To answer whether America has a serious drug problem or not, I would say that it has a serious drug trafficking problem. While it's bad that people are using drugs in the country, I think that the most dangerous part about drugs in our country is how they are moved around and taken from place to place. The drug trade is one of the most dangerous illegal businesses that there is. Having drug abuse in our country causes there to be more crime in our country, which we definitely do not need.
ReplyDeleteAs a whole, I believe the American people have started to see drug abuse as a less important problem, and certainly not as “public enemy number one.” However, I think that Americans’ views on drugs largely depend on what type of drug it is: using drugs as an all-encompassing term means that there are outliers on both ends of the spectrum. For example, the recent (in the past several years) ad campaign against meth showed many people the true dangers that hard drugs bring. Other hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin are extremely detrimental to a user’s health and the public rightfully views their abuse as a problem. On the other hand, abuse of hallucinogens such as psilocybin mushrooms and LSD usually don’t cause quite the type of damage that harder drugs can cause to society, but they are still dangerous to the individual. I think most of American society doesn’t believe marijuana to be a particularly harmful drug; this is evidenced by its legality in two states and decriminalization in several more. Part of this changing viewpoint on marijuana is the emergence of studies that show the positive medicinal effects of marijuana. Education has also turned the public away from drugs such as meth. Personally, I do not believe that America has a drug problem. While some drug use exists, I do not think that the abuse of illegal drugs is a nationwide problem that needs to be addressed in such a large-scale way as the War on Drugs has attempted to attack it. I think most kids at Paideia only use or condone the usage of alcohol or marijuana. As for other high schools, the viewpoint of students varies from school to school.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that drugs are public enemy #1. America has a plethora of other issues to attend to and I feel that drugs should be very low on our agenda. Over the past few decades, drugs have slowly become less taboo. Many drugs are still looked at horribly such as heroin and meth, but drugs such as marijuana, shrooms, and molly have slowly become more normalized. Marijuana has made huge steps as it has slowly become legalized in states and even decriminalized in others. I don't think America in particular has a drug problem. Drugs are a big part of society. Many celebrities succumb to drugs, humanizing them in a way. Drugs are everywhere and more, or less easily available in most places. No matter how much legislation is passed, or how much people fight it, drugs will always be a problem. The best we can hope for is to keep kids away from them until they're old enough to make their own decisions. I don't condone the use of illegal substances, but there are things far worse that could provide more destructive and detrimental life experience.
ReplyDeleteI think that the problem the US has with drugs is one of moderation. We know these susbatnces are extremely harmful, even fatal. However, in our efforts to create safety, I think we are overexuberant. In many other countries, there seems to exist a tolerance. For example, in Portugal, if police find someone with a small amount of drugs, they confiscate it and the person must go to get their addiction assessed. However, as many others have mentioned, we are seeing the United States start to relax a bit on it's no tolerance policy with medical marijuana. I think if the laws of the United States were focused less on punishment, the tempting "forbiddeness" of it would lessen it's appeal. My friend and neighbour talks about a crowd of affluent classmates, out of which five girls have been to rehab and one boy had been grounded for 3 months for selling pot. And this is the social norm- no longer is it only the "stoner" or the "freaks" that are doing these drugs, there is also the idea that it is a social event. This acceptance or even glorification goes in direct contradiction with the federal laws regarding drugs. However, I think the "problem" America has is not with the "drug road" or the existance of drugs. I think that coping with them and figuring out how to deal with the effects and addictions they cause is the problem shared by not only the people but also the government.
ReplyDeleteAll drugs play their own special role that trigger horrible signals within the brain that then affects an individual in numerous ways. This terrible substance mainly affects the prefrontal cortex, which then reduces one to have the ability to use his cognitive skills, develop in a healthful manner and have great judgment. All of this sounds dangerous but also exhilarating to some. No matter the response or reaction, the affects and the facts still remain. Drugs are dangerous and risky. However, they are no longer seen as an enemy. The world has changed in such a way in which many people are aware of specific treatments and of therapy, which have been proven as successful if that person has continued having helpful sessions. Being controlled or changed by a substance is no longer scary or astonishing. The impossible is no longer impossible. Therefore, I don’t believe drugs are an actual enemy. However, the lack of availability of treatment is scary. Not everyone has great help around the corner, so with no help, people are not stable and are unpredictable, but they are still good people even if addiction has consumed them. Many of these people live all over the world, but to focus strictly on America, I think media, advertisements as well as TV shows hold a high reputation for showing America as to having drug and drinking problems. But if we look in deeper, we get to see that many impoverished areas or communities with lack of personal structure and care have people that depend on drugs and alcohol. At first, the intuitive reasoning for this is because it is a form of escape, but after that the individual is addicted. I don’t think it is moral or just to say that America, which includes many ranges of people, to say that they have problems with drugs and alcohol. Also, because the problem does not have to be permanent and is not guaranteed anymore to actually be a problem. Sure drug and alcohol problems exist, but since they can be changed and not everyone is involved with drugs, which I mean more than half of America is not involved with drugs, I think it is not a true problem.
ReplyDeleteIn this day and age, I think that drugs are no longer as big a public enemy as they used to be, assuming that they are still considered to be a public enemy. Nowadays, there are much bigger problems that the US has that they must deal with, such as foreign issues and the war on terror. Drugs are not really a point of contention anymore (well, as much as they used to be), with the legalization of marijuana in many states. Drugs are slowly starting to become commonplace. Despite the fact that there are still drugs that we still consider really bad, such as heroin and meth (as evidenced by Breaking Bad), other drugs like marijuana, cocaine (still bad, though), and shrooms have become more acceptable among the population. In regards to America having a drug problem, I wouldn't really agree with that. Like I said before, drugs are starting to become a rather normal aspect of American society. Lots of people use drugs, and it is very easy to obtain them. Ultimately, I think that drugs will always be an issue, despite the fact, that there is so much fighting for and against it. Until then, one just has to do the right thing and not abuse drugs, though addiction can't really just be controlled suddenly. In the meantime, there are many more things to worry about, like terrorism. In summation, I only have one thing to say: Don't do anything Ben Dollar wouldn't do.
ReplyDeleteI think drugs are a very significant public enemy in America. The number of deaths in the US due to overdose are on the rise–the drug problem is getting increasingly worse. The government doesn’t pay as much attention to drugs as it once did, and the average American doesn’t view it as a significant problem. But for those in poor communities, drugs are a huge problem. I’m not talking about marijuana–that doesn’t kill people–I’m mainly talking about heroin, which has caused hundreds and hundreds of deaths in the last year, especially in New England. Atlanta has also seen its heroin problem increase dramatically. Over the last two years, the number of deaths related to heroin has doubled. As the demand rises, so does the supply, and heroin is easier to get–and at a cheaper price.
ReplyDeleteBased off what I’ve seen in my life, I think there is a huge drug problem for kids. Drugs are easy to get–everybody knows someone who can tell them where to get drugs. I find the worst drugs kids use are molly and cocaine, based off addiction. You don’t hear of very many kids using heroin, meth, or crack. But plenty of kids drop acid, take ecstasy, and snort coke. There is also a huge problem with kids taking pills–drugs like oxiconton and xanax are common among kids. These problems are biggest at schools where kids have money. Hearing of a kid that uses cocaine at a school with lots of money is not uncommon. At Paideia, none of those drugs are a problem. Every school has kids that smoke weed, but compared to what kids are doing these days that is not a big problem. So based off of the number of kids that use hard drugs, I would say there is definitely a drug problem at schools in America.
In high schools, I think many kids are naïve as to the consequences of drug use. Kids hear about friends that use them and think it is okay, but their friends don’t tell them the consequences of those drugs. For example, if you have a friend that uses cocaine, when you ask him about it, he is going to tell you how awesome it is. However, he won’t tell you about all of the side affects and addictive qualities. So upon hearing this, you can get peer pressured into using a drug like cocaine without knowing that you’re getting into. There is a huge drug problem with kids, and I think the availability of drugs is the main culprit.
While I think that drugs are detrimental, problematic, etc. and support the idea of the “War on Drugs,” I feel as though declaring war upon something as broad as drug usage is (as one politician in the movie pointed out) unsolvable. The problem seems endless and scary, for the goal in mind—stop illegal usage of drugs or what have you—seems so idealistic. Drugs have been and will be part of global and American culture as long as people need a quick way to make themselves feel good. It’s sad, but it’s true. The drug problem in America isn’t a person who can be killed, like a corrupt and violent leader, or a conflict between two countries that can be solved through military involvement. This crisis we face is so abstract that all we can hope to do is diminish, not eradicate, it.
ReplyDeleteAs long as people are doing drugs like it’s no big deal, there’s a problem with drugs. I’m not saying that all ways that drugs are used, or even the drugs themselves, are all equally as bad. I’m simply saying that there’s definitely some bad in the mix, so when drugs are used, there’s a problem. I think that America’s problem extends further than that. To fuel the drug problem, America has a greed problem and an excess problem. Americans want more (greed), but don’t know when to stop (excess). This dilemma is definitely shown in higher-class neighborhoods and communities (ex. Paideia) because the money people here have can easily buy drugs without a second thought. Strictly speaking about Paideia, though, I don’t think we’re as bad as some of the other prep schools. Not naming names, but I’ve heard stories about kids at one particular school doing hard drugs regularly at parties. I know of only a few (less than 5 probably) people at Paideia who have done hard drugs, and most of those people have graduated. That said, kids at Paideia still have access to money, and therefore, access to drugs more in our comfort zone, like pot. Though not as large of a problem as it may be at other schools, Paideia could probably find itself guilty for raising kids who fraternize with “public enemy number one.”
I agree with Bella -- our society's fascination with drugs is very much a problem, but it is a problem so vast and unique to individuals that the government simply cannot expect to defeat it entirely. For that reason, I would not call America's drug problem "public enemy number one." You can defeat an enemy. You can't "defeat" something that won't go away. Its face might change, but drugs will always continue to be a part of American culture. There will always be a new sensation, a new craze that adventurous or dissatisfied Americans won't be able to resist.
ReplyDeleteBut that's not to say the government has no responsibility in cutting down drug use and drug-related crime. It seems to me like much of the crime surrounding drug cartels and distribution are as bad or worse than the effects of actually smoking or snorting. Think of Breaking Bad. Deadly overdoses run side by side with violence and murder and both are atrocious. In addition to addressing the cartel, the government should try to combat the destruction drugs cause in the lives of young Americans -- high school drop outs, addiction, gang violence, etc. From this perspective, the government shouldn't be attacking the drugs but instead helping its young citizens.
In our own immediate world, drugs at Paideia are a somewhat problematic reality. Generally speaking, we are privileged and think no harm can come to us. At the same time, we're a pretty smart bunch and have a lot to lose, so we stay within certain limits. There isn't a problem with hard drugs at Paideia. I've never heard of anything like what happens to Wakefield's daughter and her friends. There is a fair amount of pot, but in my opinion, marijuana belongs in an entirely different conversation than cocaine, heroin, or meth. By no means am I condoning the use of marijuana. Pot may not have some of the same physical side effects as hard drugs, but it has other effects: dividing up friend groups, losing trust with parents, and slipping grades, all of which I have seen in our community. These are big problems, indeed, but at least nobody ends up dumped in front of an emergency room.
We are beginning to see a change in attitude when it comes to drugs in America. States are moving to legalize marijuana, and not just for medical purposes. Now there are politicians who openly support marijuana, which at one point would have jeopardized their career as politicians. Even though marijuana has made leaps and bound in minds of the people, other drugs still are bad. As someone who has done extensive research on marijuana, but never even seen it in person, I have a relative idea of the effects—not first hand. I am however a high school student, so I’ve been around/heard about many drug stories. The amount of people that partake in drugs may surprise you. I’m not talking about alcohol, even though they are underage, and I’m not talking about marijuana because in my eyes it is the same as alcohol. Drugs like speed, cocaine, and even prescription drugs run rampant around the types of environments I am around, and no, I don’t live in a shady part of town. I live in Peachtree City, the typical fru-fru community. Everywhere you go you see country clubs, golf carts, and spoiled-uppidy-high-schoolers. I left my old school in Peachtree City to get away from this kind of environment, but I never understood how bad it was until I left. During the prom of my old school, there was kids doing coke in bathrooms. COKE! Apparently drugs are still a huge problem, and it starts at a young age. I think this is partially because of the drug culture. Kids don’t see these drugs as a bad thing, and in communities like PTC, kids see drugs as a social sign.
ReplyDeleteAmerica's view on drugs has gradually changed since 1971. In modern society, the issue of drugs isn't as significant as it was over 40 years ago. Marijuana, once seen as a dangerous "gateway" drug, has become widely accepted across the country. Some states have even legalized the use of marijuana, something that would be almost unthinkable 40 years ago. Even hardcore drugs aren't as severe as they once were. Instead of viewing drug addiction as a bad habit or the result of poor decisions, addictions to drugs are now classified as a disease. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, addiction is a "chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences to the addicted individual and to those around him or her," While drugs have become more accepted in our society, that doesn't mean the population accepts drug use. Many people still consider marijuana as a dangerous drug. Majority of the population would never do hardcore drugs. People in America still view drug use as a negative habit. However, compared to the attitude during Nixon's speech, drug use has become more accepted in our society.
ReplyDeleteAmerica definitely has a drug problem from my perspective. In comparison to other schools, the Paideia community has significantly less issues with drug abuse than the other schools I've encountered. We have a few scattered cases of marijuana use, but, as explained before, the issue of marijuana is unique. The drug is becoming widely accepted, and I personally don't see the use of marijuana as being the same as using hardcore drugs like cocaine or meth. There certainly are people in our community that use harder drugs, but in comparison to other communities, there is significantly less drug use than other communities. I currently live in a small town outside of Atlanta. At the local middle and high school, drug use is a much more prominent problem among students. Back in 7th grade, 4 students were arrested for selling marijuana. These students were extremely young to be involved with drugs. Even though marijuana isn't as dangerous as other substances, getting involved with drug dealing at such a young age is a poor life choice. The high school is in a much worse situation. The school is fairly large-- there are about 400 students in total. Two years ago, a number of students were caught using heroine in the school parking lot during school. A strikingly large number of students at the school are involved with drugs in some way, whether they use drugs, sell them to their piers, or spend time with friends that use drugs. In this community, drugs are a much greater threat than in the Paideia community. This might boil down to the people in the community. Paideia is a small, wealthy community. Students are much more likely to be accepted into prestigious colleges and to take prominent jobs in society. As a result, we have more to look forward to in our futures. This isn't the case in my hometown. Most people in the middle and high school are lower or middle class kids who likely won't go to college. These kids don't have a bright future to motivate them and help them make good decisions. In communities like this, drug use is a much more prevalent problem.