An Evaluative Analysis of the Controlled Substances Act

Ruffin, Leela A.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/118086 Copy

Description

Title

An Evaluative Analysis of the Controlled Substances Act

Author(s)

Ruffin, Leela A.

Issue Date

2022

Keyword(s)

• drug policy
• distributive justice
• opioid

Abstract

The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) has defined U.S. drug policy for more than 50 years, determiningwhatsubstancesareoutlawed,restricted,andegregiouslypunishedwithsentencesupto life in prison. Yet, the recent motions by Congress proposing federally decriminalize the use of marijuana, a Schedule 1 substance, has brought a crucial question to light: what is the true purpose and effectual impact of drug legislation? How do the intentions ofour legislators to safeguard the nation from drug-related crime and chaos correlate with the environmental changes and inequitable outcomes that are not always reflected in law? According to the present data provided federally and independently byjournalsalike, the ripple that the CSA and its branchingdrugpolicies have caused in spheres ofcivil justice and healthcare is proven to be expansive (Lampe, 2021).The reputational stain placed against substances associated with high health risks (I.e., Schedule 1 and 2 drugs) is arguably reversible but has also been an immediate barrier to access in cases where the substance’s physiological and mental benefits could be useful for stabilizing one’s wellbeing instead of endangering it (Strohman, 2020). The disproportionate enforcement of drug arrests in communities of colorand low-income areas threatens bothracial and class equity withinthe United States, due to the unjust targeting for criminalization without solutions or resources for the vulnerable (Taifa, 2021). Nonetheless, the benefits contribute to upholding an acceptable level of public safety, producing responsible standards for medicinal classification, and involving the interests of large pharmaceutical companies and their accompanying research (Lampe, 2021). As spotlighted in the following explorations of congressional efforts and scholastic studies, the complexities of life under recent drug policy cannot be understated, which opens many considerable avenues for necessary revisions

Publisher

School of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Series/Report Name or Number

Journal of Undergraduate Social Work Research Vol 6 Issue 2

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Copyright and License Information

Leela A. Ruffin

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