The drug policy in America
Introduction
The drug policy in America has evolved, with its origin being formed two unique models of addiction. The common one is the criminal model, which is viewed as a crime hub where the consumers of various drugs find it hard to overcome addictive habits and other antisocial behaviors. Another origin is the medical model. The addiction from the drugs is considered a chronic and relapsing illness that should be addressed using the medical and other healing professionals. For this reason, the Harrison Act of 1914 was formulated to find the ideal ways of regulating the drug industry and settling the appropriate taxation model to achieve the desired optimality. The Act provides for the registration of various collectors whose responsibility is to collect revenue from the drug industry and minimize the hazardous ones’ consumption, thus setting the foundation for improved welfare. Insight into the house I live in’ movie offers insight into the journey of the war on drugs in America.
For a long time, the US. Has formulated various regulations that seek to regulate drugs’ consumption and minimize the crime scenes in society. The war in drugs in the US has resulted in many individuals’ arrest with the government spending close to 1 trillion dollars. The US ranks among the world’s leading jailers f drug warlords, yet it is the primary destination for drug dealings. In the movie called ‘the house I live in,’ heart-wrenching stories are revealed, especially on the primary perpetrators of drug deals. The movie shows the network that drugs take a right from the dealers to the consumer, with the state officers playing a pivotal role in facilitating the illegal trade. The movie further offers insight into how mothers of the affected drug addicts grieve, the bribes received by the narcotics officers, and the senator while revealing the underhand dealings in the federal court and the inmates’ lives. Most noteworthy, the movie shows the profound human rights implications of the war on drugs. From the movie, one clearly picks various aspects of the Harrison Act of 1914 that can help mi minimize the incidences of drug peddling in society.
The key among the Act’s primary focus is streamlining the drug laws and creating a way for improved collection of revenue through taxing the drug industry. By recommending that there be a tax law that will set the foundation for increased revenue, the Harrison Act of 1914 sought to create a disincentive drug deals in the US. In particular, having tax imposed on specified drugs implies that their prices will significantly increase. Increased drugs’ prices will lead to a significant drop in their consumption as they will be beyond many people’s reach. As such, the Act indirectly helps the US government in curbing the drug addiction menace. Besides, the Harrison Act of 1914 sought to regulate the production, importation, and the distribution of specific drug ingredients like coca products. The primary way of regulating drugs’ production was by imposing various forms of taxation through each production channels. Notably, it recommended the imposition of a tax to the producers of all drugs and all other stakeholders in the drug distribution network, making it hard for the consumers to afford the price of the final products in the markets. As such, the Act sought to significantly increase the revenue streams of the government. The government’s increased revenues could be used to provide other equally important services like rehabilitation and investigation.
From the events unfolding in the movie ‘the house I live in,’ one can accurately assert that the Harrison Act of 1914 is ideal for enforcing restrictive measures that should minimize the country’s drug menace. Although the Act was introduced many years ago, so little has changed over time. The trusted individuals like doctors and government employees are the primary players in the distribution of illegal drugs. Besides, the criminalization of drug use in the US is high, making it hard for individuals to admit using controlled medicine in the country. As such, the government loses a lot of revenue in the form of abated taxes. Most worrisome is that racial disparities in the war against drugs are quite high, with certain racial groups being at the receiving end of the drug-related arrests. For this reason, one can accurately conclude that the Harrison Act of 1914 is the ideal way to go in controlling the drug menace in the US.