Drug Abuse, Addiction And Policy - 971 Words

Drug Abuse, Addiction and Policy Drug addiction to both, illegal and legal substances has had a significant impact on society and culture in the United States for over a century. The United States failed drug policies have helped to create an epidemic of addiction, to both illicit substances and prescription medication, that claims the lives of thousands of users every year. The film Requiem for a Dream, presents a surreal look at how illegal and prescription drugs, can destroy lives. The film focuses on a Harry, his mother, his friend and his lover, in Brooklyn, NY. Each of them discover the bleakness and unending pain that accompanies addiction. The era of the movie is indiscernible, but the tragedies are exceptionally relevant to the ongoing drug problem we face today. Culturally the U.S. has a created a problem, by mainstreaming the accepted use of alcohol and advocating the safety of prescription drugs, while demonizing the use of drugs like marijuana, the United States is faced with growing levels of addiction and incarceration. The director Aronofsky, perfectly illustrates this complex issue by contrasting Harry’s heroin abuse and downfall against his mothers’ diet pill abuse and mental breakdown. The fact that both substances are dangerous and addictive but only one is legal, perfectly thoroughly condemns the U.S. stance on drug use. 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But even with everything the U.S. has tried nothing that has been done has even made a dent in the drug war. Drugs just continue to hit the very streets that innocent people live on. Today people walk right outside their house and just around the corner