Introduction
The drug dealers are criminals because they violate the laws against sale of drugs. They engage in activities such as manufacture, cultivation, distribution, and sale of drug substances prohibited in law. Because of the illegal drug dealings, the smugglers carry severe penalties that include sentencing, depending on the drug classification. The drug users become addicted to the drugs and finally die. A good example of a drug dealer is Frank Lucas who used to earn a million dollars every day while hundreds of the drug users such as Chris Farley died because of the illegal trade. Both the drug dealers and the drug users arrive at serious consequences because of the life they live. The drug dealers and the drug users live a life that they were not forced into, but the one they choose to live.
Comparison and Contrast
Frank Lucas was a United States heroin drug dealer and acted as a crime boss in Harlem. Frank Lucas was born in 1930, and became a criminal after much struggle. Lukas had direct links from Asia and sold the drugs in the United States streets where he made $ I million per day. He was an international smuggler and all he wanted was to be rich without considering the harm caused by the drugs. His worth was around $ 52million, which was in terms of properties he bought in the country and outside the country. The people around him were the elite whom he met in politics, entertainment, and in the crime world. In his life, Frank Lucas fathered seven children when he was a rich man.
After living a luxurious life, Lucas was arrested in 1975 when his house was raided and the officers found a large amount of cash. After his arrest, Lucas received convictions in New Jersey state and Federal drug violations, which led to a sentence of 70 years in prison. For his safety, he provided evidence that helped in conviction of 100 drug related criminals and instead of 70 years, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was released in 1991 from prison and had nothing because all of his assets were seized. His wife Juliana Farrait was convicted and jailed for five years.
Chris Farley was an American comedian born in 1964. In his career, he became one of the popular Saturday Night Live members in 1990. He left the Saturday Night Live in1995, after which he focused on the film career until his death. With two other friends, Chris Farley got success in the production of two films, which were the Black Sheep and Tommy Boy. By this time, Farley was into drugs and their third film was interrupted because he had to attend a rehabilitation center several times. In 1997, Chris Farley died and left the unfinished projects he was working on. He was found dead in his apartment and an autopsy revealed that he had died because of overdose of both morphine and cocaine at the age of 33 years. To deal with the drug addiction, Farley had tried 17 times to seek treatment.
In comparison, both the drug dealers and the drug users get involved in their actions for different reasons. The drug dealers engage in drug trafficking because they want to get money and become rich in a quick way and their act is considered legally wrong. Frank Lucas, who was a former drug dealer confess that he engaged in the act because he wanted to become rich of which he eventually was. On the other hand, the drug users start on drugs as they try to satisfy pressure with small amounts. Without their knowledge, they develop addiction and most of them die as they try to get rid of the addiction. Using drugs is considered morally wrong and the addicted people get help from treatment and rehabilitation programs. Chris Farley, who was a drug user enjoyed taking the drugs at first, and he was not aware when he became an addict. He tried to get treatment for the addiction but was not successful. Both the drug dealers and the drug users choose the life they want to live without being forced by anybody and later regret when it is too late.
Most of the drug dealers do not use drugs because they know its effect on health. However, they feel the consequences because they are held accountable for the health of the users. According to Elliot and de Than, (2006, p. 986-995), the drug dealers who sell drugs to users who eventually die are held liable and prosecuted for manslaughter. In some cases, the same people get convicted only for the supply of drugs.
Most of the drug users are not held accountable for their actions and results in many of them not making any efforts to fight with the addiction. The users make their choice in life without knowing the consequences of being hooked. Both the drug users and the drug dealers should be held accountable for their actions, which would lead to reduction in the drug related crimes. If there are no drug users, the drug dealers will reduce by a large percentage (Kotarba et al, 2010, p. 1390-1405). Drug dealers flourish in their business because of the demand of the product they sell.
The drug users and the drug dealers share the same uncertainty concerning their future. Frank Lucas, a drug dealer had a good life but with uncertain future. He was imprisoned and after 15 years in prison, he became poor. His future life was affected although he had a second chance after his release from prison (Elliot and de Than, 2006, p. 986-995). The life of Chris Farley was also uncertain although he had big dreams and great projects to accomplish. The life he chose to live ended in health problems at his later years, which led to immature death.
Most of the drug users, unlike the drug dealers, do not get a second chance to reconstruct their lives hence mostly end up dead. The drug users go to rehabilitation centers while the drug users are taken to prison because of their criminal acts. Frank Lucas did not die because of being a drug dealer, but Chris Farley died because of accidental overdose of the drugs. The drug dealers and the drug users try to change their life after wasting time. This is because Frank Lucas knew that what he was doing was wrong when it was too late. He realized his mistake after a testimony from a mother whose son had died because of overdose. Before that, he had never thought of the harm he caused to the society and to the young people. It is only in the later years when Chris Farley realized the danger of drugs and tried to get treatment from the addiction, but he never succeeded.
Conclusion
The drug dealers and the drug users suffer consequences because of the life they choose to live. They have different lives because the drug dealers get rich but try to hide from law enforcers’ throughout their lives. If caught, the drug dealers might spend their remaining life in prison but some of them get another chance if they get lean convictions. The drug dealers lose everything if they happen to be released from prison and they lead to a miserable life. Frank Lucas got out of prison and forgot the rich lifestyle he was used to, and started to seek help from friends. On the other hand, most of the drug users struggle with the drug addiction for years and later die because of using the drugs.
The greatest percentage of the people who die because of drug addiction is the young people in the society with great potential and accomplished dreams. Chris Farley was 33 years when he died after struggling with drug addiction for many years. The life of Frank Lucas, a drug dealer and Chris Farley, a drug user ended up in tragedy, which could not have been blamed on anybody because they were not forced into it, but they chose to live such lives.
References
Elliott, C., & de Than, C. (2006). Prosecuting the Drug Dealer When a Drug User Dies: R v Kennedy (No 2). Modern Law Review, 69(6), 986-995.
Kotarba, J. A., Fackler, J., Johnson, B. D., & Dunlap, E. (2010). The Melding of Drug Markets in Houston After Katrina: Dealer and User Perspectives. Substance Use & Misuse, 45(9), 1390-1405.
