Drug use and crime have a complicated and intricate relationship. Everyone who uses drugs does not become addicted to them, nor does everyone who uses drugs commit violent crimes. Apart from crime, the use of drugs gives rise to a variety of economic and social concerns, such as illness, early death, and considerable decline in productivity. Currently, two of the most obstinate social problems that the United States is facing are drug addiction and drug-related crimes. Policy makers and scholars have both held countless debates on the relationship between drug use and crimes, and the large volume of literature is proof of this. Goldstein (1985) was the first to suggest that drug use leads to crime. However, many researchers believe that not only does drug use lead to crime but even crime leads to drug use. Their assumption is that deviant individuals are more likely to find themselves in social situations where the use of drugs is common and they are encouraged to use drugs. The context for drug use stems from such a criminal subculture (White, 1990). Drug use and crime have long been connected to each other, and this research paper will analyze the association between the two.
The notion that drugs lead to crime and a casual relationship between the two has been supported by various studies. After years of research, the apparent conclusion is that crime inherently stems from illegal drug use and that the commission of crimes encourages and supports dependence of different types of drugs, such as amphetamine, cocaine, crack, heroin, and marijuana (Anglin & Perrochet, 1998). Similarly, it has been noted that during periods when narcotic addiction was on the rise, the rates of crime were six times higher (Nurco, 1998). Numerous other studies show that rates of crime increased during periods of drug use. Much of this research focuses on the economic motivation model to explain the relationship between the use of drugs and property crime. However, there is also evidence that suggests that particular drugs, such as amphetamines, have a pharmacological effect on people that increases their likelihood of committing a crime (Gelles, 1994). Although the relationship between drug use and consequent criminal involvement has been documented by these studies, there have been preexisting differences in their analytical techniques. Some studies have even failed at established that the commission of crime likely arises of an increase in drug use.
Although it a known fact that manufacturing, distributing, and carrying drugs is a crime, and it is also known that driving under the influence of drugs is also a criminal activity. However, it is far more complicated to discover how crime is related to the use of drugs. Counting offenses of violent behavior that have resulted from the effects of drug use is not easy. Additionally, the risk factors of drug addiction, violent temperament, and to commit crimes vary from person to person depending on their personality traits. Drug use and crime are both an indication that the individual has a lower self-control. Usually people with an impulsive nature are more willing to try drugs, and once addicted to these drugs, they may turn to street crime. A criminal offender is not created by drug use; however, the likelihood of committing criminal actions is indeed intensified by the use of drugs. Additionally, people who use drugs generally do not the requisite education to get a job or a legitimate occupation. Environmental factors, genetic factors, and lifestyle choices also determine who is more likely to abuse drugs and consequently commit crimes.
Both Gizzi (2010) and Darke et al. (2010) have discovered that drug addicts are also more likely to commit violent crimes under the influence of certain drugs, such as methamphetamine, than others. Additionally, violent crimes are not the same as violent crimes, and the motives involved are also different. In comparison to people who have used other types of drugs, arrest records show that more offenses have been committed in the past by meth users, and many of the crimes committed by them were property crimes (Gizzi & Gerkin, 2010). Moreover, people on probation who have been previously convicted of violent crimes are more likely to abuse drugs and consequently engage in criminal activity, and often they also have mental health symptoms too (Webster et al., 2010). There are certain hindering factors that make it difficult to measure the relationship between drug use and crime. Nonetheless, evidence suggests that among male drug users who are arrested for committing violent crimes, the relationship between drug use and violent crime is mediated by poverty (Valdez et al., 2007). Researchers have also found that the use and abuse of drugs has a greater relationship with property crimes than with violent crimes.
Even though, every year addictive drugs are tried by many people, but only a small number of them actually become addicted. There are many environmental and genetic factors that determine whether or not an individual may be vulnerable to become addicted and abuse a drug. Similarly, there are a variety of factors that cause people to commit crimes. Moreover, both drug use and the commission of crime have certain similar risk factors, such as employment, family environment, peer influences, poverty, and social support structure. Nonetheless, the fact that increased levels of crime are related to the use and abuse of drugs cannot be denied. The conclusion that has been reached through this research paper is that while a relationship between drug use and crime certainly exists, measuring it is difficult because the likelihood of a drug user committing a crime varies from person to person, and also depends on the type of drugs being used. The available literature on the relationship between drug use and crime also suggests that drug use is more likely to lead to property crime. It can also be hypothesized that crime rates to some extent can be reduced through drug treatment.
References
Anglin, M. D., & Perrochet, B. (1998). Drug use and crime: a historical review of research conducted by the ucla drug abuse research center. Substance Use and Misuse, 33(9), 1871-1914.
Gelles, R. J. (1994). Alcohol and other drugs are associated with violence—they are not its cause. In R. J. Gelles & D. R. Loseke (Eds.), Current controversies on family violence (pp. 182-196). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Gizzi, M. C., & Gerkin, P. (2010). Methamphetamine use and criminal behavior. International Journal of Off- ender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 54(6), 915-936.
Goldstein, P. J. (1985). The drugs/violence nexus: A tripartite conceptual framework. Journal of Drug Issues, (15), 143-174. Retrieved from http://www.drugpolicy.org/docUploads/nexus.pdf
Nurco, D. N. (1998). A long-term program of research on drug use and crime. Substance Use and Misuse,33(9), 1817-1837.
Valdez, A., Kaplan, C. D., & Curtis, R. L. (2007). Aggressive crime, alcohol and drug abuse, and concen- trated poverty in 24 u.s. urban areas. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse,33, 595-603.
White, H. R. (1990). The drug use-delinquency connection in adolescence. In R. Weisheit (Ed.), Drugs, crime, and criminal justiceCincinnati: Anderson Publishing Company.
