One of the lesser-known topics surrounding the War on Drugs is how it affects people who are in need of certain drugs. Cancer patients and people with chronic pain are struggling to get the painkillers and other prescription medications they need that can help alleviate pain. Suffering from severe pain is something that no human being should have to go through in life. “According to the World Health Organization, these measures simply result in 5.5 billion people – including 5.5 million with terminal cancer – having low to nonexistent access to opiate medicines. More powerful opiate preparations, such as morphine and diamorphine (heroin), are unattainable in over 150 countries.”
Cancer patient expressing her frustration for being arrested for marijuana possession
The government should not be able to prohibit someone from getting the necessary treatment that he or she needs. The people that truly need medicine are being severely penalized in this War on Drugs. While marijuana is becoming more accepted and even legalized throughout much of America, there is still a stigma attached to it. Many people think smoking cannabis is associated with laziness and apathy. However, the medicinal value of the drug cannot be ignored as many cancer patients, HIV/AIDS patients, and those suffering from chronic back pain have used it to reduce pain. The fact that it is easier for someone with ADHD to obtain a drug like Ritalin than it is for a cancer patient to obtain a painkiller or marijuana that can ease his or her pain is unfortunate, and that has to change.
In the end, the War on Drugs, much like many other government policies, is mostly about the money. There is so much money tied up into our prison system, and with the excessive amount of people incarcerated due to drug-related offenses, it is no wonder why the United States continues to fund the War on Drugs.
The Failed War on Drugs 