Drugs and crime in Canada

DRUGS AND CRIME IN CANADA
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Drugs and crime in Canada
Introduction
The use of drugs is an important element that is associated with crime, as there is a complex link between the two. The variation is from simple possession of drugs to the organized crimes for control of drug trade. The consequences of drug use can also lead to addiction leading to commission of crimes for quick money to satisfy drug needs. There are inherent consequences of drug use by generating direct cost of both health and justice systems and indirect cost of productivity and social toll of drug users. Illicit drug users are engaged to crime as a source of income and the extent of drug consumption. Dependence and tolerance is facilitated by regular drug use hence increasing financial needs to cover the cost of drug consumption (Manzoni, 2007). Engagement of drug users to criminal activities is to generate income through crimes such as theft, and burglary, engagement in drug trade through distribution and women generating proceeds from sex work. The aim of this paper is to examine the extent of criminal involvement and drug use and factors that are associated with specific crimes and their impact.
Factors Contributing to Crime by Drug Users
The dynamics that contribute to crime are associated with pharmacological effect, socio-economic, dependence, and demographic aspects of drug users. The involvement of criminal activities is during high periods of substance use declining with period of abstinence.
Pharmacological Effect
The chronic and cumulative effects of substance use facilitate types of crime, as they damage the moral sense of users rendering them incapable to distinguish right from wrong. Intoxication reduces anxiety and fear hence, they facilitate behaviors which are difficult to find when sober (Hammersley, 2008). People who have drug problem have the tendence to offend as their behavior is influenced by drugs.
Studies have indicated that drug related crimes are associated with misuse of drugs which results in part the feeling of invincibility usually pronounced with abuse. The crimes associated with this pharmacological effect include property crimes, aggression, shop lifting and violence. These people have been in contact with law enforcers because of their criminal behavior (Hammersley, 2008). Many injuries and homicides in Canada have been contributed to substance users who have been negatively affected and commit crimes under the influence of drugs. These addicts have misused substance thereby affecting the receptor in the nervous system rendering it to be ineffective in judging the natural world. Addicts may find their environment surrounding being aggressive, and the outcome is mistrust leading to this addicts being violent ready to commit criminal activity.
Drugs have damaged the moral sense of users and this contribute more for the inability of such u...