Thierry Monteiro English 010-04 Portfolio Open Section 12/4/12 Cocaine Cowboys In the 1980s Miami Florida was just beginning to the crime capital of the nation, but it had also been the drug capital for a decade. FBI issued its annual list of the ten most crime-ridden cities in the nation last September, Three of them were in South Florida. Miami was in a first place, West Palm Beach was fifth and Fort Lauderdale was eight. An estimated 70% of Cocaine imported to the U.S passes through South Florida. When president of Cuba Fidel Castro agreed to allow citizens to leave in response to a tough Cuban economy, many of them departed to the United States and landed in South Florida which increased the crime rate in the city of Miami.
Intelligence says Sinaloa Cartel has won battle for Ciudad Juarez drug routes.”(CNS News, 2010) At the end of year 2010, 3,622 homicides were recorded in Ciudad Juarez. That was the most that was recorded within the past 6 years. Not only was this cartel known for its bloodshed, but for also for its trafficking of cocaine. This cartel trafficked 1,500 to 2,000 kilograms of cocaine per month to their Chicago cell. (Department of Justice, 2009) That is approximately 18,000 kilograms of cocaine per year in the city of Chicago.
Prescription pain pills include narcotics, stimulants and depressants, which are the most commonly abused. Statistics show that 1 in 20 people in the United States, ages 12 and older, abuse prescription painkillers. These drugs affect the brain and reach the opiate receptors which cause a release of dopamine which acts as a “excitatory neurotransmitter”. Dopamine produces feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, and a feeling of euphoria. These feelings are only temporary and when they wear off the person feels much worse than they did before taking the pills.
For a short period of time the Mexican government was able to combat the relocation of heroin trafficking within their country. However, during the 1950’s and 1960’s Mexico finally became the primary source for heroin bound for the United States (according to the President’s Commission on Organized Crime, 1986). It is estimated that approximately 10 tons of heroin were processed in Mexico during the 1970’s at which time 6.5 tons were illegally smuggled into the United States. On the other hand, during this same time period, Mexico was responsible for supplying over 80 percent of marijuana available for distribution throughout the United
Drugs 1 Drug Trafficking In the United States Use of Cocaine in America Carolyn Bennett Eng 122 Allorah Wyman 3/25/12 Drugs 2 The Use of Cocaine The topic that I choose to write on is Cocaine. Cocaine is used all over the world. It was first discovered in the mid 1800’s. At first it was used as an anesthetic during eye, nose and throat surgery. Then it was used for depression and addiction to morphine.
Prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing sector of illegal drug use in the United States. Over the course of a few years, the National Institutes of Health estimated that over twenty percent of people have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons. Among these people, teenagers from ages 12 to 17 are the most frequent abusers. Today the number of teenagers who abuse prescription drugs is alarmingly high. “On average, 6,027 teens use prescription drugs every day to get high for the first time” (DEA).
People who usually take Crystal Meth seek the pleasure from the chemical reaction in the brain and a hyper effect on the body systems. People who use Crystal Meth will experience hyper activity and won’t be able to properly sleep and will become lazy. People who take Crystal Meth appear normal, but for many years of taking the drug, the hidden effects build up. Methamphetamine addiction is very damaging to the body and mind. Bad temper and social difficulties are obvious effects.
Substance abuse usual begins with casual or experimental use in adolescence. Alcohol is the most prevalent drug abused in our society. Almost twenty million Americans can be defined as alcoholics, in comparison to the some 1 million that use
Colombian and Mexican groups continue to smuggle cocaine to the United States at significant levels, and the result is an increase in the number of both drug distributors and drug users. In particular, gangs such as the Crips and Bloods, Dominicans, and Jamaicans are actively involved nationally in selling cocaine. These gangs are responsible for widespread cocaine-related violence. During the first 6 months of 1995, cocaine prices ranged from $10,500 to $36,000 per kilogram. The heroin market in the United States is dominated by high purity heroin from Southeast Asia.
They say that we are down below 13 million now. So that is a significant decrease, 50 percent as far as drug users.”4 In Australia had one of the largest prevalence of amphetamines at 21 percent in 2008 is starting to show a decrease in use from 27 percent testing positive in 2007.4 In Russia Eighty-seven thousand people were arrested for drug related crimes in 2006 – an increase of 24 percent over 2005. "5 In the United Kingdom the statistics show "In general, the quantity of seizures has been rising in the United Kingdom, cannabis being the most seized drug. In 2009, 12,690 kg of cannabis resin, 18,162 kg of herbal cannabis and 764,184 cannabis plants were seized across the UK “6 The ‘War on Drugs’ seems to be working, however at a very slow pace. Commissioner Kelly