Index IntroductionDrugs in historyEffects of drugs on society: health problemsConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionIn recent years there has been a notable increase in the purchase and use of drugs. The drugs can be used as a stress reliever, as a way to escape from reality, and for some other uses. There are some important costs that affect the person and the people who are part of it. One of the main costs would be your health because, just like cigarettes, medications can have a major impact on your body. The drugs can affect organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, stomach and kidneys. Another important cost is money. Purchasing medications can impact your home, transportation, necessities and hygiene. The United States has spent billions of dollars on drugs. Medications can also have positive effects on you. For example, let's say you go to the doctor and he prescribes a drug, you will be able to use the drug freely without being criminally prosecuted. Drugs can also have a negative effect on the brain, which can affect emotions and mental performance. Different drugs such as cocaine, “angel dust,” marijuana, heroin, methamphetamine, ecstasy and other substances can have different effects depending on the drug and the amount taken. Sometimes these drugs can cause people to do terrible things like kill people, kill themselves, rob someone, and physically abuse their boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, mother, father, or any other person in their life. So in this essay the effects of drugs on society are discussed. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Drugs in History Drugs have been around us for hundreds of years all over the world. Benjamin Rush was the first to believe that alcohol caused the person to become drunk, not the person himself. Drug abuse has plagued the Americas since the 1800s, when morphine, heroin and cocaine were hailed for their extraordinary healing properties. One of the oldest drugs is marijuana. Marijuana has become a cheaper alternative to use to purchase alcohol after the price of alcohol was increased. In the 1930s, studies began to emerge linking marijuana use by lower-class communities to crime and violence, leading to the banning of marijuana in 1937. After prohibition people continued to use marijuana even after the sanctions worsened. Another old drug is amphetamine. It was originally used to aid the nervous system, increase blood pressure, and widen the nasal passages. Amphetamines were widely distributed to soldiers during World War II to combat fatigue and improve stamina and mood, and were prescribed by doctors after the war to help combat depression. This soon became an over-the-counter remedy called Benzedrine. Not long after, a black market emerged and amphetamine soon turned into a smoking substance called methamphetamine. LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is a drug that causes hallucinations/trips. LSD first emerged on the American scene in the 1950s, when the US Army and CIA investigated the use of LSD as a "truth drug" that could be used to make prisoners talk. This led the psychiatric community to become interested in LSD for its possible therapeutic abilities for depressed, psychotic and epileptic patients. Eventually, LSD was banned in 1966 and a black market selling these substances emerged. Opium is the oldest drug in use. It originatesfrom an opium poppy plant that dates back to 3400 BC. The Sumerians called it Hul Gil (the plant of joy). Soon the plant was passed on to several countries which taught more countries that it required more growth. Today it is grown in small pots in small parts of the world and sold to those who want it. The US Congress bans it in 1905. The Thai army, with the support of the DEA, launches the operation to destroy thousands of acres of opium poppies in the fields of the Golden Triangle region.society: health problems I drugs lead to many health problems. These drugs have a major effect on the mind. When you take drugs, most of them affect the mind and cause hallucinations, stumbling, relaxation, anger, sadness and many other emotions. The duration of the effect on the mind depends on two things: the type of drug and how it is taken. IVs are the fastest way for medications to enter the bloodstream. After injecting the drug, your body will react almost instantly and tell your brain that you have drugs in your body. The next fastest way would be inhalation. So, it would be crack, cocaine, tramadol, valium, Xanax and other drugs. This will happen in two ways; it passes through the nasal passages to the brain, or it goes to the lungs and soon reaches the brain. The slowest way is ingestion. This slowly facilitates the action of the drug. By ingesting the drug it will dissolve and go through the digestion process and eventually reach the bloodstream and get to the brain. Taking medications also affects the care of yourself and everyone else in your family. This can affect things like food, housing (paying bills), education, hygiene, and many others. When you start taking the drug, you start to become addicted. Once you become addicted, you start craving larger amounts because your body gets used to the amount you take before. After that things get more and more expensive. Soon you forget to eat, to feed your family, to pay the bills, and all you worry about is dying and taking more drugs to get high. After a while, your partner may leave you, you may have your children taken away, you may have your electricity and water turned off, or you may be kicked out of your home. Taking medications is very risky since every time you increase the amount you take, you could add too much one day and overdose. Overdose is extremely dangerous as you could end up in a coma, you could overdose and have no one to find you, or you could die. Organs suffer many of the effects of taking drugs. The drugs can affect organs such as the lungs, heart, kidneys and liver. Drugs affect the lungs by smoking them. These smokable drugs can include weed, marijuana, PCP, heroin, ketamine, prescription opioids, DXM, GHB, and tobacco. These things start to turn your lungs black and cause diseases like bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis, emphysema and lung cancer. This can potentially worsen to slow or block air and/or air, or worsen asthma symptoms. The heart is also seriously affected. Stimulants may be the most dangerous class of drugs for our hearts. Cocaine, specifically, is considered the "perfect heart attack drug" by the American Heart Association. According to the AHA, “even so-called recreational cocaine users may have higher blood pressure, stiffer arteries, and thicker heart muscle walls than nonusers, all of which can cause a heart attack. The kidneys are also affected by taking medications. Your kidneys can be negatively affected by 6 things: exposure to toxins, aging, diabetes,.