Illegal Drug Use, Illegal Prostitution and Money Laundering

Illegal Drug Use, Illegal Prostitution and Money Laundering

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Illegal drug use, illegal prostitution and money laundering are seemingly the grand vices that have increasingly terrorized the world in the recent past. Statistically, these vices have tremendously caused economic and health harm to approximately 100 million individuals. Many leaders have tried to curb these vices through launching innumerable programs but seemingly, their efforts have borne no fruits. Apparently, these could be due to improper legal facilities in majority of the countries.

Illegal drug use

Drugs are usually designed to treat or prevent particular disorders from occurring under prescription from qualified medical personnel. However, the propensity to use these drugs without the doctor’s prescription is rising daily. Others take large or small amounts of the drugs, as compared to the amounts prescribed. Some of the drugs commonly misused are cocaine, alcohol, methamphetamine, caffeine, cannabis, tobacco, inhalants, sedatives, hypnotics and anxiolytics and opioids. Majority of these drugs have health benefits but once used inappropriately pose complications that may result in life threatening conditions (Isralowitz, 2004).

The drugs commonly abused have extremely beneficial clinical use if used in accordance with the prescription. For instance, opioids such as morphine are used to relieve pain. Benzodiazepines and barbiturates are used as anxiolytics and as sedatives. Some have also shown anticonvulsant properties. Some of them are used during surgery in perioperative and postoperative procedures. A good example is cocaine which has been over the past years used as a general anesthetic though new drugs having better pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties have replaced it. In a nutshell, these commonly abused drugs form part of the medications with extremely crucial clinical significance if used appropriately.

The reasons for illegally using drugs among individuals vary. Peer influence plays a great role for drug misuse. Many succumb to drug abuse such as alcohol and cocaine due to influence from their friends and even relatives. Others intentionally use these drugs to achieve mood alteration especially in individuals who are depressed or stressed. They chose to temporarily end the condition by taking the drugs which often result in euphoria. Individuals suffering from dependence symptoms are forced to use these drugs so as to avoid the irritating and unpleasant side effects associated with not taking the drug. Some of the drugs are used.

Other salient reasons for the use of drugs are explained below. Some drugs are easily accessible. A good example is alcohol which is one of the drug commonly abused. These creates room for teenagers and others to acquire and abuse it. Others use the drugs only for experimentation purposes. Loneliness also grabs one’s interest to misuse these drugs due to lack of other important issues to engage in. Drug abuse have serious side effects hence should be avoided at all cost.

Illegal drug use has been shown to cause dramatic damage not only to the user but also to others close to him. These drugs result in health, economic, social and psychological problems. Some of the side effects include increased crime, decreased economic productivity, domestic violence, accidents and health disorders. Illegal drug use has resulted in loss of lives probably due to acquiring diseases such as sexually transmitted diseases, hepatitis and HIV/AIDS. Mortality has also risen due to traffic accidents caused by the drug user especially alcohol. Crime has also increased as a result of an attempt by the drug user to acquire resources to purchase the drugs especially in addiction and withdrawal symptoms cases.

Research shows that alcohol causes reproductive problems. In both men and women. In men, it causes infertility by reducing the production the production of testosterone hormone. In women, it may cause dysmenorrhea or amenorrhea. Alcoholism in pregnant women predisposes the fetus to fetus alcohol syndrome. This results in impaired development of the brain, facial organs and other body parts. Illegal drug use has also resulted to illiteracy among teenagers probably due to dropping out of school.

Divorce and homelessness is also on the rise due to illegal drug use (Fehrman, et al., 2015). This is well explained by the financial difficulty that result as a result of most of the family funds being channeled in purchase of drugs. Furthermore, increasing family violence due to disagreements on the use of funds results in marriage breakage.

From this, one can candidly conclude that drugs have uncountable importance if used appropriately. However, their importance is masked when individuals ignore simple prescription procedures associated with them. If one tried to imagine the negative side effects involved with illegal drug use, he/she will definitely resort to using it accordingly.

Illegal prostitution

According to (Peterson, 1993), prostitution is the act of exchanging sex for money. The legality of prostitution remains controversial in many countries. Some institutions for instance religious bodies oppose prostitution, viewing it as being against their moral codes. Others view it as a form of exploitation whereby men dominate women hence also opposed to the act. Others regard it as a profession hence the need to legalize the act. The laws governing prostitution act vary significantly among countries. In some countries, sex work is legal while in others it is illegal, to the extent of being punished by a death sentence. In some places especially those criminalizing the act, the sex worker is the one to be penalized while in others, the client is the one to get the penalty.

Despite all the controversy associated with the act, many countries have resolved to legalize prostitution. The arguments behind the decriminalization of the act have been accepted in many parts of the world. Some of them are explained below. Illegal prostitution has statistically been shown to increase human trafficking cases. Researchers believe that trafficking especially of women can only be combated if the legal rights of the prostitute and the prostitution act are recognized and guaranteed in a particular country. However, others argue that human trafficking and sexual trafficking can only be stopped if prostitution is abolished since it is the core reason behind the act, hence the need to legalize it.

Illegal prostitution has also been linked with rampant spread of HIV/AIDS. A sex worker may infect her clients with the virus especially in unprotected sex. Though the act is considered as a source of income and possibly a remedy to poverty by many, it predisposes one to contracting sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS. This has resulted to increased mortality and reduced productivity due to opportunistic disease associated with the infection. Besides, a lot of expenditure is incurred in the process of trying to treat and improving the quality of life of the client. In the long run, cases of poverty continue to increase daily.

Prostitution as a profession is also considered as evil. Many religious bodies are against the act and have even publicly condemned it. Christianity, for instance believe that the act is not in line with their biblical teachings, thus the need to be eradicated at all cost. Though, the act is considered as the oldest profession and possibly the easiest and surest way to get revenue by many, it has unanimously deteriorated morality in many parts of the world. Majority of our children have indulged in the act in the process of trying to earn a living. These has resulted in increased rate of school drop outs in the society. Ironically, some of our children are forced into the act by family members, especially in extreme poverty. Some of our children are lured by their friends who convince them of how effortlessly they can obtain money.

The prevalence of rape has increased drastically in areas practicing illegal prostitution. Mostly, women are turned into sexual objects in these areas. Instead of buying the service, some chose to rape them. These further explains the reason for flourishing of HIV/AIDS in these areas. Rape has also resulted in stigmatization and depression that in most cases leads to suicidal thoughts of the subject. In addition, the sex worker lives in abject fear of being raped. This further compromises the profession since it neglects the right of the sex worker. The profession also predisposes the sex worker to violence from his clients. Illegal prostitution exposes the sex worker to men who may end up beating