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Social Problems: Exercise 2 - Drugs as a social problem
Instructions:
Read the passage and click on the correct answer. Scroll down
if you do not see the Answer box. If wrong, try again. Click
here to review the key terms for this exercise.
The growing, manufacturing and trading
of drugs are illegal activities in most countries, yet the drug trade
continues to grow and prosper. Why does this happen? In wealthy industrial
countries, there is a growing demand for drugs. In fact, six million
Americans use illegal drugs regularly. In the less developed parts
of the world, where the plants used for drug manufacturing are usually
grown, very few economic opportunities exist for most people. However,
if they grow plants such as coca or poppies, they can sell these crops
to drug traders, and make money. Even in the U.S., some people see
selling drugs as an easier way to earn more money.
The drug trade and drug abuse are responsible
for some of the most serious social problems in the U.S. and the world
today. For example, drugs are linked to the increasing number of homeless
individuals, babies born addicted to cocaine, gang violence, organized
crime, corruption of government officials, and increased criminal
activities of middle and upper-middle class professionals. Despite
the millions of dollars spent by the U.S. to fight "the war on drugs,"
the problem has not decreased. Some believe that the U.S. government's
current focus on the supply side (drug producers, smugglers and dealers)
is a mistake. Instead, the government should focus on the drug users
by helping them deal with the social, psychological and economic issues
that lead to drug dependency. For example, the government should provide
drug-treatment and education programs and better job opportunities
to the poor.
Instructions:
Read the passage and click on the correct answer. Scroll down
if you do not see the Answer box. If wrong, try again.
