Just Say NO

            
             Tobacco use and alcohol abuse are extremely widespread in today's society. Unfortunately our society faces a greater problem. This problem goes deeper than alcohol abuse, tobacco use by minors, or even the increase in cocaine use over the last decade. It is natural for members of our society to want to help one another. It is therefore logical that many of us want to end the flow of illegal drugs into this country, to stop the sale of alcohol to minors, and to educate children on the risks of tobacco use. Anti-drug programs have popped up wherever school children are present, and one is asked for identification when buying alcohol or tobacco products if they look even remotely close to the age limit. Our society believes that in combating drugs, alcohol, or narcotics, we can eliminate the majority of our problems. My belief, and what I intend to show, is that the revenue spent on this education should be instead spent on the root of the problem. Poverty is all around us, and is the focal point of our society's woes. Help people get on their feet, but food on their tables and a roof over their heads, and I believe that they will in turn help themselves. First of all one must look at what a cocaine addiction is and why we are trying to fight it. Then the relationship of drugs and poverty, and why the war on drugs is failing should be examined. Finally, a successful alternative to combating specific drugs in specific areas must be implemented.
             Cocaine is a powerful central nervous system stimulant that heightens alertness, inhibits appetite and the need for sleep, and provides intense feelings of pleasure. It is prepared from the leaf of the Erythroxylon coca bush, which grows primarily in Peru and Bolivia (Bean 1993). Cocaine is generally sold on the street as a hydrochloride salt, which looks like a fine, white crystalline powder. Street dealers often dilute it with similar looking substances such as cornstarch, talcum powder or sugar.