Your Thoughts and Feedback Are Appreciated!

Well another quarter has come and gone!  I have enjoyed getting to know all of you and hearing your opinions in class!  When we started together it was dark and cold, and now Spring is just around the corner. I wish all of you blessings and success in the future, and hope that you stay in touch.

So for our last blog post, I would like to get your thoughts and feedback on the class.  "What did you like or dislike about the class?  What could I do to make it better?"  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, March, 23rd 2016.  After that, the blog will be down until class resumes next quarter. For those of you who celebrate - have a Happy Easter! I hope all of you enjoy the break!

Just Say No!

This week, former First Lade Nancy Reagan passed away at the age of 94.  If you're a child of the 80's like me (yes, I am really that old!) you remember Nancy Reagan as an anti-drug crusader who encouraged kids all around the country to "Just Say No!" Critics viewed the slogan as an over-simplistic and unrealistic approach to lower drug usage in our country.  In fact, there's no denying that drug use actually soared in the U.S. throughout the 80's and has continued to plague our country.  Consider the following:

• According to a 2012 National Survey on Drug Use& Health, 23.9 million people reported they had used illicit drugs within 1 month of the survey.
• Emergency room visits for non-medical usage of prescription drugs rose 98.4% from 2004 – 2009.
• From 1998 – 2008, drug overdoses increased 56%.
• According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there are 23 million addicts in the United States and only 2.6 million ever seek help or treatment.
• 8.4 million people who abuse substances also suffer from at least one mental illness.

I’ve blogged before about my personal experiences with mental health issues, and the shortage of mental health beds in this country.  You can read my personal journey and your fellow students’ comments here:  http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2014/08/oh-captain-my-captain.html

Drug addiction is a complex disorder, with mental health issues being just one aspect of the disease.  Since treatment for abuse and addiction is delivered using a variety of behavioral and pharmacological approaches, it can be hard to quantify the number of treatment facilities and space available, but the estimate that I could find was that there are 14,500 specialized drug treatment facilities in the United States.  14, 500 may seem like an adequate number until you realize that there are 23 million addicts!  Even you are one of the few who seek treatment; you may not be able to afford it.  Health coverage doesn’t always adequately cover treatment, which results in shorter stays for many addicts who needs months and maybe even years to fully recover.  The Affordable Care Act (commonly referred to as ObamaCare), includes parity of coverage for both mental health and substance abuse problems, which only means the demand for these services could grow even higher, resulting in a continued shortage of treatment facilities.

It’s a tough problem, and one America hasn’t done a great job of solving.  We have either taken too harsh of stance – in the case of marijuana, which is still classified as a Schedule I narcotic, along with cocaine and heroin, or we have taken too passive of a stance – as in the case of the “Just Say No!” campaign. 

 I’m interested in knowing your thoughts.  So my question to you this week is, “What do you think can be done to curb America’s drug problem?  Do legalizing “lighter” drugs, like marijuana help or hurt the problem?  Should health insurance companies be mandated to cover drug rehabilitation stays, or is the individual responsible for their own addiction?”  You must answer all questions for full credit.  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, March 16, 2016.

 

  

How Do You Like Them Apples?

You may have heard recently that the FBI has requested that Apple help the FBI unlock the iPhone of the San Bernardino terrorists.  If you’re like me, you may be wondering why the FBI needs Apple to unlock the phone.  (Seriously – the FBI can’t hack into an IPhone?!) Apparently, the phone’s security measures have prevented the FBI from being able to access what may or may not be critical evidence in the San Bernardino case.

Apple has refused to help create any software that would circumvent the phone’s security measures, stating in part that, “helping the FBI unlock this phone will be setting a dangerous precedent for everyone’s cybersecurity.”  Apple feels the new software could possibly leak, and entice hackers to modify and/or breach the system on their own, thus weakening the security of all its products.

For their part, the FBI has stated that if Apple isn’t compelled to help it will be the equivalent of creating “evidence-free” zones, thus empowering terrorists even further.  Both sides have taken their case to Congress this week.

Since we will be studying 1^st Amendment Freedoms this week in class, which includes freedom of speech, I thought this seemed like a good case to blog about.  In this age of “terrorism,” it seems we must often choose between our own security versus our civil liberties.  So my question to you this week is, “Do you think Apple should be forced to develop software that could help the FBI access iPhone data?  Are you willing to give up some of your freedoms if it means making our country safer?”  You must answer both questions for full credit.  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, March 9^th, 2016.