Crime and Substance Abuse

Maybe you know someone who experiments with illegal substances from time to time or who occasionally likes to get high. For most people, such behaviors do not usually lead to major problems; however, there are those who begin using something "just for fun" but after a while, things start getting out of hand. They regularly seek to get high, begin craving the substance, and using it more and more, until the drug takes over and becomes the central motivating force in their life. We call this drug abuse. In this unit, you will begin exploring some of the current understanding about the widespread problem of habitual substance abuse, in addition to the various legal consequences faced by the users and the dealers. You will take a detailed look at the following: · Why some people are drawn to certain substances · The range of criminal charges for buying, selling, and using illicit drugs · Attitudes about drug use and trafficking in various other cultures · How total decriminalization of all drugs has been working in Portugal