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Noel Carson

Harris

AP Seminar 2

18 May 2020

Benefits of drugs

As many people notice, money runs our society but I believe that drugs run society

instead. As time goes on more drugs are being approved such as marijuana many different

amphetamines are also used today that weren't used in the past. But on the other hand, they're all

so many drugs that were used in the past that aren't used today because of the consequences and

people believe that it will harm them. I believe the real problem is that our society is not aware of

how to use the drug correctly and if we were given a proper way to use them without abusing

them our society would be some more successful with the drugs. This brings up the topic of

legalizing drugs, but not for the use of health issues but is used just for enjoyment but as

something to help a patient in need to survive. In today's society, drugs are easy to get on the

streets which makes it dangerous. Getting the drugs off the street would be safer as well as

legalizing the drugs that are necessary for hospitals that way more people will be able to use it

more safely. Many are convinced already that drugs should be legal because of the experience or

what they have seen in the past dealing with drugs. But as society continues our future would be

very much benefited by the use of certain drugs for the better. I suggest that we use drugs wisely

which can lead to successful long-lasting happiness for citizens. But we still have many reasons

why drugs can be harmful if not used wisely.

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Many people see drugs as harming the body but many use drugs incorrectly as well which is why

many do not know about the benefits of drugs. “Research shows some forms of marijuana,

including a synthetic drug, help treat a few conditions, including chronic pain and chemotherapy-

induced nausea. But solid research is limited for other forms, such as smoked or vaped

marijuana, and for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, for which states have

approved marijuana use.”(Medical Marijuana: Does cannabis offer health benefits?) As shown in

the recent studies marijuana is shown to be helpful and very beneficial to people who need it to

survive or stabilize their health condition. Other drug substances are helpful as well such as

Ketamine a study shows “ Previously, in such patients, we had found a correlation between

clinical efficacy, serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and vitamin B12 levels and a rapid

improvement in neurocognitive performance.”(Ketamine augmentation rapidly improves

depression scores in inpatients with treatment-resistant bipolar depression.) This presents to

those who don't understand that drugs such as “Ketamine” that are helpful to depression and can

help also the a statement from the same article state “The results confirm a rapid antidepressant

effect of ketamine infusion in a considerable proportion of those patients with bipolar depression

receiving mood-stabilizing drugs.” Although if the drug is used incorrectly it can affect the body

rapidly. Correct use can affect those with bipolar cured as this is a big problem already in our

society today. The viewpoint of drugs being bad and seeing the bigger picture of how it can help

and can be altered to be better for people instead of getting rid of it. Also the job of being a

therapist shows that many people have problems and some problems can be solved through drugs

or at least calm a patient down. For instance, the drug MDMA, “Despite classification as a

Schedule I drug on the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), in 2017 the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration designated MDMA as a "breakthrough therapy" in the treatment of PTSD and

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approved plans for a Phase 3 clinical trial sponsored by the Multidisciplinary Association for

Psychedelic Studies.”(incorporating MDMA as an Adjunct in Emotionally Focused Couples

Therapy With Clients Impacted by Trauma or PTSD.) PTSD which is a post-traumatic stress

disorder and the drug MDMA calms down and stabilizes the patient who has this. As shown with

other drugs if legal could stabilize more patience, which would be a success and lead to a happier

longer lasting life.

The involvement of medicating drugs to those have been argued good and bad for society and we

began to be unsure if beneficial to society, A article by Stenfert Kroese shows researched the

Diagnosis and drugs states, “Concern has been widely expressed about the high frequency with

which psychotropic medication is prescribed to this client group. The present paper reviews

some of the recent literature, and questions whether psychiatric diagnosis and the use of

psychotropic medication are sufficiently evidence-based to be justified practice.” Depending on

how serious they are with the drug will show that drugs can be used correctly to be useful among

health issues. Such as an example used before with the drug marijuana, it can be used to cure

mental problems among patients or at least help them. An article by Healey, Justin on the topic

of “Marijuana and health” states, “Marijuana is a potent and complex drug with several

properties which can have applications for both recreational and medical purposes. This drug's

various side-effects include damage to physical and mental health and dependence.” As

Marijuana can be used for multiple things it can be a great help to the mentally unbalanced

patient to calm them and help them to be better mentally. The use of drugs is not new at all but

there can be better and more drugs used appropriately to help but drugs been around since 1950

as stated, “Of the many treatment approaches available for severe mental illness,
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pharmacotherapy or drug treatment first introduced in the 1950s has been the most helpful in

ameliorating symptoms caused by such disorders.” Agreeing with drugs is very hard to do

because of all the factors that are learned that drugs are dangerous but as times have changed

scientists have found better options. Some drugs can be manipulated to be helpful to mental

health problems. We see that drugs can cure depression and overall mental problems. By solving

mental problems with medicated drugs can help society to be more mentally stable. Although we

still have a problem with addicts, the addiction comes from people wanting more because it

makes them feel good and happier.

As there are many reasons that drugs should be legalized there are still safety issues to it as well

such as it is easy to get. There are many dealers of drugs or of any drug such as meth and feta

means and marijuana being sold among teens who are getting addicted. A stated by Vestal,

Christine on drugs and addiction States "The class of drugs known as opioids includes both illicit

street drugs like heroin and fentanyl, as well as popular painkillers that are legally prescribed by

doctors.”(The Dangers of Drug Abuse) It is very easy to access different sorts of drugs and these

are mainly aimed at younger people in society because of the easy access. And it's not only

aimed at certain drugs there many such as Venkataraman, but Meenakshi also states in an article

"Whether alcohol, marijuana, ecstasy, or the latest drug of choice, substance abuse among teens

continues to be a concern. This disorder affects so many people in one way or another, not only

the addicted individual but also his or her family members and friends.”(Substance Abuse: The

Ultimate Teen Guide) As teens get used to the frequency of drugs they become addicted and they

begin to think that they cannot go without drugs which leads to a different level of addiction and

causes drugs to be wrongfully used. Shown in many analyses on drug addiction people see it as
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they need the drug to be Happy to be successful but they take it to another extent, Healey, Justin

states "Many people become dependent on drugs, and they feel that they cannot function without

it. They may spend a lot of their time and energy finding and using the drug.”(Drugs and

Addiction) Drugs are relied on too much and lead to great damage especially when it comes to

the more serious drugs such as meth which is also made in people's houses which makes it easier

to get as well as easier to harm. Vestal Christine, a research analyst states, "Compared with the

old variety of meth cooked in backyard labs, the current version of the drug is cheaper, stronger

and far more plentiful. Cocaine also has become cheaper and more plentiful. Meth is primarily

trafficked from Mexico and cocaine is smuggled from Colombia, according to the Drug

Enforcement Administration.”(Federal Opioid Grants Can Be Used for Cocaine and Meth

Addiction) with this addiction it can lead to a harmful road but as said before if monitored

correctly and not sold as an everyday drug it can help out many people in society but there will

be a caution to how much and who uses the drug.

Society is built off of how people's mentality towards happiness. People take drugs to give them

happiness or deal with their pain. The drugs become addictive when people see that there is no

other option or feel like they can't stop taking them. While people have that small satisfaction

many problems can come from it, “Much social science research concerning drug use among

marginalized populations focuses on risks and harms, with little attention to positive aspects of

substance use.”(Ivins, Andrew, and Kevin Yake) There are many concerns with drugs because

people always want more. The more people see drugs like pain relievers the more they want.

Although this is not saying the drugs are not a good idea to those in need of pleasure and they

should be monitored in help towards patients. A society ethical writer states, “It also felt relieved
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for our economy because whether it’s drugs or better readers, our pursuit of happiness remains

both intact and awake.” (MELISSA BLOCK) Society cant sees itself without drugs but there is

more to life than drugs but they are still able to help the health aspect and the pursuit of

happiness. Society is run on people making themself happy and drugs are just one way for

people to avoid problems to get to their happiness, “The world we live in is viewed differently by

these many individuals. Some see it as hostile, some see it as peaceful, and some go about their

daily business and do not see it at all.” (Gryczynski, Jan) There are many viewpoints on the

subject. We can conclude that it can harm as well as help and if we set more boundaries there

will be fewer reasons to harm. There is a way that the needed patience can get what they need

out of drugs to help the society while those who do not need it will be less likely to access it

which is a positive outcome moreover then not legalizing drugs for necessary reasoning. This

will lead more people to more long-lasting happiness than a short one through their goal of the

product of happiness.

As there are good and bad aspects of drugs we should focus on the good and beneficial factors.

Such as healing factors and helping with health conditions. The main substance that is becoming

legal the soonest is marijuana has many benefits to it, such as helping with depression and

mental health. People use drugs as a safety net because they believe that it will get rid of any

problem when in the end it only helps with certain problems. If we can get society to understand

drugs aren't something to mess with to get a small relief they are not there to be abused. We can

use drugs and manipulate them for the purpose to help those who desperately need it but not for

those to abuse them. People use drugs as a gap to be happy as “the pursuit of happiness” but

there are good and bad to that. While people are seeing it as good they may abuse the power
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because they are greedy and blinked by how happy they are but if they stayed humble and only

used it if necessary they would've been better off and with everlasting happiness.

Work Cited
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Almond, Katie, and Robert Allan. “Incorporating MDMA as an Adjunct in Emotionally

Focused Couples Therapy With Clients Impacted by Trauma or PTSD.” Family Journal,

vol. 27, no. 3, July 2019, pp. 293–299. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/1066480719852360.

Bestor, Sheri L. M. Substance Abuse : The Ultimate Teen Guide. Scarecrow Press, 2013.

EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=611932&site=ehost-live.

Gryczynski, Jan, et al. “The Healing Forest Metaphor Revisited: The Seen and ‘Unseen

World’ of Drug Use.” Substance Use & Misuse, vol. 42, no. 2–3, Jan. 2007, p. 475.

EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/10826080601142428.

Healey, Justin. Marijuana and Health. Spinney Press, 2016. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1220412&site=ehost-live.

Healey, Justin. Drugs and Addiction. Spinney Press, 2013. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=569131&site=ehost-live.

Ivsins, Andrew, and Kevin Yake. “Looking beyond Harm: Meaning and Purpose of

Substance Use in the Lives of Marginalized People Who Use Drugs.” Drugs: Education,

Prevention & Policy, vol. 27, no. 1, Feb. 2020, pp. 27–36. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1080/09687637.2018.1497145.

Mantel, Dr.Barbara, et al. “Medical Marijuana: Does Cannabis Offer Health Benefits?”

CQ Researcher, vol. 27, no. 26, July 2017, p. 605. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=124546774&site=ehost-live.

MELISSA BLOCK. “Kindles and Drugs In The Pursuit Of Happiness.” All Things

Considered (NPR). EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=nfh&AN=6XN200902122010&site=ehost-live. Accessed 20 Mar. 2020.

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Rybakowski, Janusz K., et al. “Ketamine Augmentation Rapidly Improves Depression

Scores in Inpatients with Treatment-Resistant Bipolar Depression.” International Journal

of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, vol. 21, no. 2, June 2017, p. 99. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1080/13651501.2017.1297834.

Stenfert Kroese, Biza, et al. “Diagnosis and Drugs: Help or Hindrance When People with

Learning Disabilities Have Psychological Problems?” British Journal of Learning

Disabilities, vol. 29, no. 1, Mar. 2001, pp. 26–33. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1046/j.1468-

3156.2001.00085.x.

Venkataraman, Meenakshi. “Medicaid Coverage of Newer Psychotropic Medication.”

Health & Social Work, vol. 31, no. 3, Aug. 2006, p. 229. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1093/hsw/31.3.229.

Vestal, Christine. “Federal Opioid Grants Can Be Used for Cocaine and Meth

Addiction.” Stateline.Org (Washington, DC), 22 Jan. 2020. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=nfh&AN=2W64280027011&site=ehost-live.