ADDICTION IN AMERICA– COULD DECRIMINALIZATION HELP TO REWRITE THE FUTURE?
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Northern Kentucky University
Abstract
"Seventy-thousand six hundred and thirty. That is the number of deaths from 2019 that resulted from drug overdose (CDC, 2020). With this staggering number in mind, it has become a struggle to determine the next steps to take in order to combat this issue that is both directly affecting the lives individuals plagued with substance abuse disorders but also that of their families, friends, and the community at large. A solution that has been tossed around more often in recent times is decriminalization— meaning to alleviate and/or eliminate the criminal penalties for specific actions (in this case, the action of drug use for oneself). At face value, this seems to be a solution that would prompt the complete opposite of improvement for levels of addiction. However, with time and research it is hoped that this argument can help to show just how helpful decriminalization can be in the fight against addiction in America. For this analysis and proposal, both qualitative and quantitative research findings are vital to the argument. The human and sociological factor to this issue cannot be ignored and there is a plethora of research on the psychology behind substance abuse which makes this
information readily available."
Description
2021 Celebration of Student Research and Creativity presentation
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Presentation
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Keywords
Substance abuse, Drug legalization, Drugs Overdose