Study – Grow – Know

Illegal Drugs Often Equals Violent Crime

December 24, 2012 at 12:06 PM 1 comment

Jesus helps Carita to inject heroin as Nelson prepares his needle.
Photograph by Stefania Buonajuti / National Geographic Channels

With all the tragedies we’ve been hearing about in the news of late, it makes you feel like sometimes, you just can’t leave the house.  This morning I read that four firefighters in the town of Webster, NY were shot as they arrived at 6:00am to fight a fire.  Two of them were wounded critically, while the other two died.  How absolutely tragic is that?  Our hearts and prayers go out to the families and friends of those firefighters wounded and killed.  I cannot imagine dealing with that type of loss.

No firefighter expects to die of gunshots while attempting to put out a house fire.  It’s simply not expected as the normal part of the job.

Apparently, last Christmas, in the same town of Webster, NY, “a 15-year-old boy doused his home with gasoline and set it ablaze, killing his father and two brothers, 16 and 12. His mother and 13-year-old sister escaped with injuries. He is being prosecuted as an adult.” [1]

You know, something is just happening throughout society that makes people scratch their head in confusion and fear.  People are acting very strange indeed and we all want answers.  As previously mentioned, some seriously believe that removing the instruments that cause harm and death from society will make society a better place.  It could, but there is no guarantee about that as we see from the fact that one 15-year-old boy caused the deaths of three individuals and injured two others – all in his own family.  It seems that if people really want to harm others, they will find a way to do it.

From a biblical perspective, there seems to be no shortage of depraved individuals who are bent on causing harm, pain, or death to those around them and there are a lot of reasons why this is the case. Yet, there is one overriding reason.

These people have always been with us and will be here until the Lord returns.  As long as people remain adrift from God, people who kill and maim will continue to exist in the world.  There is really nothing that can be done either.  No amount of social programs will solve problems for people that originate in the spiritual dimension.

Last night I was watching a very interesting episode of Drugs, Inc., produced by the National Geographic Society.  It was called Zombie Island and this particular episode pulled back the veil on illicit drug use on the island of Puerto Rico (PR).  What I learned was literally astounding.

The main drug of choice is cocaine and while there are many dealers in PR, one particular group of eight individuals joined together to buy cocaine in bulk.  They then divvy the coke up in eight equal portions to it.  In order to make a profit, they have to “bulk” up the cocaine with additives.

What is interesting is the list of additives that they mix in with the cocaine; everything from laxatives, to Xylazine, a horse tranquilizer that is literally turning PR’s resident addicts into walking zombies. [2]  In fact, it was quite by accident that this latter additive was used as a means of bulking up the cocaine and in the process, a brand new drug was created, one that creates a high that cocaine by itself cannot do.

Many of the addicts who take this type of cocaine wind up looking and acting like zombies; literally sleep walking while panhandling.  They have walked in front of cars and been run down or they are found simply standing someplace while asleep.  The danger to themselves and society is large and alarming, yet it is a battle that the authorities in PR are losing.

More than the problems directly related to drug use, there are problems indirectly related to drug use such as what is known as “jungle rot.”  Jungle rot occurs because of the humidity in Puerto Rico and the fact that drug users will shoot up outside a vein in an arm or leg.  This creates huge abscesses and open sores that quickly become infected. [3]

Because drug use is such a large problem in Puerto Rico, most addicts do what they do because they can get away with it.  They gather in abandoned buildings where one individual acts as “cook.”  That person provides clean needles and water and helps other addicts get and maintain their highs on the condition that he gets part of their stash for himself.

The tragic part of all this is how often the addicts and dealers (who were interviewed) said they wish they had never tried their first hit.  They feel they cannot escape the drug’s hold on them.  Even the dealers wish that they could leave their life of crime behind.  They don’t want their children to see them like this and they know what they are doing is wrong.  They are constantly looking over their shoulders and because many of them have arrest records, they cannot get good jobs.  They feel their life is hopelessly caught in a cycle of crime that they would love to leave behind.  Crime and drugs go hand in hand.

“When we think of the links between drugs and crime we usually think about dependent users of drugs like heroin and crack cocaine…who commit crimes such as theft, burglary, fraud and shoplifting to get money to buy drugs. However, drugs and crime are also linked in a number of other ways including:

• People who use or supply illegal drugs getting caught
  
• People who commit violent offences (sic) while under the influence of drugs, particularly alcohol. Drunkenness is associated with a majority of murders, manslaughters (sic) and stabbings and half of domestic assaults.
• Alcohol and drug-related driving offences. (sic)
  
• Violence involving drug dealers who may clash with rival gangs or be violent towards drug users who owe them money.

“Some research studies have found that a lot of acquisitive crime (stealing) is committed by dependent users of heroin and crack cocaine trying to pay for their drugs. Some show a high proportion of people arrested for a range of offences (sic) testing positive for drug use. It has been suggested that one third to over a half of all acquisitive crime is related to illegal drug use.” [4]

So what we are dealing with then – according to research – is the fact that drugs play a very significant role in society and how people act or relate to one another.  Moreover, depending upon the location within America as one example, large percentages of arrestees test positive for some type of drug in their systems. [5]  The overall percentages of those who commit violent crimes like murder, rape, or assault are fairly high.  That should be obvious to most, yet too many seem to forget these facts.

Here in the United States alone, the problem of illicit drug use has reached epidemic proportions for some time and it shows no sign of diminishing at all.  It is also becoming an increasingly larger problem in society.  It’s probably safe to say that the “war on drugs” was lost some time ago and there is no sign that our government will be able to get any kind of handle on it at all.  A good deal of money, time, and effort is being thrown at the problem without much headway.

What does this tell us about our government’s ability to solve problems?  It should tell us that our government is wholly unable to solve complex serious problems in society.  They simply cannot do it and the facts prove that to be true repeatedly.

In spite of our government’s complete lack of ability to get any workable handle on the drug problem that is epidemic in our society, our government wants to  further erode people’s rights with respect to the 2nd Amendment.  People believe that this will somehow fix the problems related to why people become violent in the first place.  The government’s desire to handicap law-abiding citizens will do nothing worthwhile.  I believe it will also create more problems.

You see, our government likes to exist under a blanket of hype.  They like to present to us one picture while the exact opposite may be the case.  For instance, recently, Mr. Obama made a two-minute video that essentially stated that “we hear you” with respect to all of the alleged tremendous outcry regarding the latest examples of gun violence in the United States. [6]  “Administration aides said video is a direct response to several petitions on the White House’s Web site signed by a total of more than 400,000 that demand the president take action on gun control. One of the petitions has been signed by more than 196,000 people, making it the second-most popular petition in the 16 months the administration has been soliciting them under its “We the People” program.” [7]  Let’s not forget though, that there are just under 312,000,000 people living in the United States right now.

According to the NRA, since the Connecticut shooting, new members have joined the NRA to the tune of 8,000 daily.  Moreover, over 26,000 people signed a petition in one day to have Piers Morgan deported to merry old England because of his attack on the 2nd Amendment.

Beyond all of this, go to a gun store and try to buy ammo or a gun.  Guns and ammo are flying off the shelves.  I ordered some ammo yesterday and it’s on back order.  It’s the same with every place I tried.  That tells me that there is an overabundance of people who are afraid that this administration will do whatever they can to further erode the 2nd Amendment and if they could do it now – regardless of what they claim to the contrary – they would fully eliminate the 2nd Amendment.

Obviously, there are those who want the ability to obtain a gun curtailed.  There is no mistaking that fact.  At the same time, there are plenty of people who honestly believe that abrogating a person’s 2nd Amendment rights is not going to change society for the better.

Look, it is easy to blame the instrument that inflicts harm (although no one blames the car when it is driven by a drunk driver, or a fork because Michael Moore is obese).  But the problem is much larger than that.

It is easy to say that guns cause the problem because guns are used for killing.  People see killing as bad though guns often save many lives each year through the proper use of self-defense.

People want answers and they want the government to provide those answers.  The government is incapable of providing those answers.  They cannot solve the problems that face society because the government is incapable of addressing the real problem that causes all the others.

We are staring down into the eyes of the coming fiscal cliff.  We abort over 4,000 babies each day in the United States.  Illegal drug use and the problems created from that causes many problems in society; problems our government is completely unable to fix.  I have my doubts that they’re even interested in attempting to fix these problems either.

Yet, we are supposed to believe that if our government placed more restrictions on guns – making them more difficult for the average, law-abiding citizen to obtain – then all would be well with the world. This is in spite of the laws that are routinely set aside by FFL dealers and criminals on the street.

Even if we could get a handle on guns, we still have illegal drug use and all of the crimes associated with that.  Our government cannot stop it and they can’t even stay ahead of it.

Let’s look at the reality here for a moment.  The largest sources of illegal guns on the street come from two areas according to the ATF:

1. Licensed gun dealers (FFL) knowingly completing “straw purchases,” and
2. Unlicensed street dealers [8]

A very small percentage of guns used in the commission of a crime are actually stolen either out of homes or cars.  Yet, it is clear that at least some FFL dealers are corrupt.  They know the law, but go around it anyway.  Why?  For a few extra dollars in their pocket.  It’s the same reason that some doctors are caught trying to cheat insurance companies; for a few extra dollars in their pocket.  It all comes down to greed.  So in spite of the fact that these gun dealers are licensed and know the law, they ignore it.

Moreover, there is a big problem with illegal import and export of guns into the U.S. from Mexico and into Mexico from the U.S.  The U.S. government can make all the laws it wants in order to attempt to curtail this problem, but they will no sooner be able to solve that problem than solving the illicit drug importation problem.  This type of trafficking in either drugs or weapons is very sophisticated and seems to always be at least one or two steps ahead of the authorities who are also out-manned.

In a previous article, I spoke of the fact that there are those who believe Hollywood bears at least some responsibility for trying to glamorize smoking so that young people are more inclined to take it up.  Because of this, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has been pressuring those in Hollywood to remove scenes of smoking and even placement of tobacco products in movies that are geared to young people.  They believe that because young people are impressionable, then they become open to the suggestion to try smoking.  In large part, Hollywood has complied with the requests of the AAP.

I also spoke of a number of women’s groups who have protested the continued depiction in movies and video games related to women as sex objects. [9]  There are many studies out there and they go back to the early 1970s.

However, when we discuss violence and gore in movies and games, that’s another thing altogether.  Those who condemn that violence are ignored or pooh-poohed because they are “out of touch.”  There is no connection, we are told, between undue violence in movies and games and any translation to society.

Logically, if doctors are concerned about the potential risks to young people being persuaded to try smoking and women are also concerned about the constant portrayal of women as sex objects, then it stands to reason that violence and gore in games and movies does have an impact on young people as well.  It simply follows logically and should be obvious to the thinking person.

So what is wrong with society?  Is it the fact that guns, knifes, and other weapons are available?  Do these weapons somehow take a normal person and turn them into a crazed killer?  No one with half a brain would argue that this is the case.

But for many, the quick “fix” seems to be to believe that by eliminating those objects from society (or by making them much more difficult to obtain), the crazed people won’t have access to them.  This is so absurd, it’s laughable and has been disproved repeatedly by solid research.  Believing it will only create a false sense of peace and security in people.

We are not talking about simply avoiding a specific part of town that has been given over to all types of crime.  We are talking about something that pervades society throughout.  It cannot be controlled through legislation.

Chicago – for the past number of years – illegally kept people from owning guns even to use as protection in their own homes from burglars and home invasions.  Did crime go down?  Of course not.  It skyrocketed.

Those in society need to realize that people without Christ are depraved.  It’s the way we naturally exist apart from God.  Even authentic Christians can still act in a depraved way because the sin nature still exists within us.  It would be nice if once people became Christians, the ability to sin was eradicated, but that’s not reality.

In the meantime, depraved people who are without Christ will always look for all types of answers to the ills of society instead of the correct place.  It is because people are separated from God.  They do not have salvation and that is far more than simply a new way of thinking, or practicing a set of beliefs.  Becoming a true Christian means that a new birth has taken place within that person spiritually.  That spiritual new birth literally creates within that same person the new creation that Paul speaks of in 2 Corinthians 5:17.  If we are a new creation, then the old is gone.  We begin to start thinking with a newness that comes from within and transforms us completely.  That will take time, but the process begins when we receive Christ.

Global society has major problems.  Drug use has become the scourge of all civilized societies and has created crime upon crime because of it.  Drug use has created a myriad of problems that our government is completely unable to fix.  Yet, people continue to believe that we should look to the government for answers.

Society has drastically changed since the 1950s.  Don’t believe me?  Check it out here: The 1950s vs. 2012

We can shake our heads, wonder what happened, and what will happen next.  The truth is that the Bible has warned us repeatedly that life will become very bad in the end times.  The Bible pulls no punches.  We are in those times.  God essentially has allowed depraved humanity to take sin where it will naturally go and it isn’t pretty.  In fact, it is downright ugly, isn’t it?  But it still has not reached the end of itself either.  Society will become much worse than it currently is now and it will cause the world to look increasingly to governments to fix the problems.

More laws will not solve the problems in society when in truth, those problems are largely spiritual in nature.

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