Branden Wetsel

Professor Roberts

Health 1050

Reflection Paper

Drug use and has a major impact on the international and global community. Cartels run

entire countries through fear and violence. Production of cocaine itself pollutes the seas and soils

of the area it is produced. Opium is one of the largest epidemics sweeping the globe. Alcohol and

Tobacco, although legal, are two of the world most dangerous drugs based on their deadly side

effects. And Marijuana could be the worlds saving grace that we kept from the world for too

long. I intend to go through each drug step by step explaining the impacts they have on the

world.

Mexico and South America are extremely corrupt areas of the world ran by powerful

criminal organizations called cartels. Two of the most popular cartels are the Medellin and

Sinaloa cartels in Colombia and Mexico. Both cartels are very powerful in their respective

businesses. The Sinaloa cartel is known for a leader named El Chapo and the production of

Marijuana and Opium. The Medellin cartel was created by a man named Pablo Escobar and is

best known for their production of Cocaine. They both operate out of fear and violence which

has given them quite the grip of their countries.

Cocaine production has a huge impact on the international and global community just by

the way it is produced. Coca leaves are soaked in gasoline to begin the extraction process of the

cocaine from the coca leaves. After it has soaked in gas, they add another chemical to separate

the cocaine from the gasoline. Once the cocaine has been extracted from the gasoline all of the
remaining chemicals are dumped into the soil where the cocaine was produced, poisoning the

soil and eventually making its way to the streams that flow into the sea. Pollution is a big yet

small epidemic when it comes to the production of cocaine.

Opium is a major epidemic that we have been hearing about for many years. With many

different types of opium and opiates around the world it is easy to see how it is such a major

issue across the globe. From prescription drug abuse to heroin users, there isn’t a cap on the

opioid epidemic. Opium is a highly addictive drug in all forms and was never meant to be used

in anything other than modern medicine, but when a stronger form of morphine was created by

accident the demand for Heroin became vastly large and extensive. No form of opium is safe, no

form is non addictive and it continues to sweep the globe due to its tendency for addiction.

Alcohol and Tobacco are government regulated drugs that both can be put in the category

of number one cause of preventable deaths. The negative health effects that come with both are

vast. Including cancer, respiratory issues, liver disease, loss of motor functions and both drugs

can poison you if used in excess. Alcohol has slowly become one of the most used drugs today

across the globe. Alcohol consumption per capita has grown from 5.5 liters of pure alcohol in

2005 to 6.4 liters in 2016. With that deaths related to alcohol abuse are also rising. 19,500 people

died in 2009 alone based off of alcohol related cancer. Tobacco is also a killer of thousands

worldwide and targets the younger audience. Big tobacco wants to hook their buyers young and

help them to an early grave. They won’t admit it, but it is obvious in countries such as Indonesia

where tobacco companies encourage children of all ages to try a cigarette via TV advertising,

Free samples and concerts thrown by these tobacco companies. These two drugs are legal and the

most common causes of preventable death in the world.

 Marijuana could save the world from several epidemics with its use medically. Medical

marijuana is gaining a lot of traction across the world for its healing benefits. There are various

uses for medical marijuana, number one being pain management in cancer patients. Israel is a

country with over 38,000 medical marijuana patients and a massive back flow of approvals

needing to be done. Lots of countries have already legalized the chemical CBD derived from

Marijuana as it is the primary healing chemical in the drug. Where marijuana really shines and

could be the worlds saving grace is the ability to help people drop their addictions to other drugs

around the world. Think of it as a detox and an easy way to distract the mind from all the

negatives in the world. That is why I think it was the world’s best kept secret.

Overall this class taught me much more about each drug and taught me that it is best to

just stay away from drugs as they all have a chance to kill you. No drug will be “safe” but if I

had to pick one to help me and not hurt me, it would be marijuana.