Drug abuse negatively impacts communities through increased family stress, crime, and health issues. It can cause marital and family problems as well as child neglect when parents are preoccupied with addiction. Users may commit crimes to fund drug habits, and drinking and driving contributes to many crashes. Treatment programs are costly and not always effective in reducing these negative effects of drug abuse on communities.

1. Drugs and the
Community
By Emily Scott

2. Drug abuse is a problem that involves
communities as much as it does individual users.
Drug abuse can increase family stress, crime and
significant health problems. Treatment
programs, designed to reduce the negative
effects of drug addiction within a
community, are costly to implement and are not
always effective (Withers, 2013).

3. Family Stress
• Marital stress (Withers, 2013).
• Place the children of users at a greater risk of
emotional problems, physical problems and
learning difficulties (Withers, 2013).
• Parents who abuse drugs or alcohol tend to
neglect their children leaving them to their own
devices. Because they are preoccupied with their
addictions, they fail to provide the proper
guidance that children need especially during
their growing years (King, 2008).

4. Crime
• Drugs and crime are interrelated
(Marvist, 2013).
• In order to support expensive drug
habits, users sometimes engage in crimes such
as robbery, prostitution or even aggressive
panhandling (Withers, 2013).
• Drink driving contributes to over 30% of fatal
road crashes (WA Government, n.d.).

5. Treatment concerns
• Drug abuse exposes users to a variety of
health risks including pregnancy
complications, brain damage or even death
from overdosing (Withers, 2013).
• These illnesses can be expensive for society to
cure (Palme, 2007).

6. Fatalities
• Deaths stemming from violent crimes by
substance abusers (Withers, 2013).
• Child-maltreatment fatalities caused as a
result of substance abuse by a child’s primary
caregiver (Withers, 2013).
• In 2010, 29% of all fatalities had a blood
alcohol concentration (BAC) of over 0.05g/mL
(WA Government, n.d.)

7. References
• King, C. (2008). Substance Abuse – effects on Society. Retrieved from Ezine Articles website:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Substance-Abuse---Effects-on-Society&id=1513739
• Marvist. (2013) Impacts of Drugs on Society. Retrieved from Street Directory website:
http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/111343/addictions/impact_of_drugs_on_socie
ty.html
• Palme, J. (2007) Drugs effect on society. Retrieved from Web4Health website:
http://www.web4health.info/en/answers/add-social-effects.htm
• Rodney, N. (2013). How Effective Is Drug Testing in Eradicating Teen Drug Abuse? Retrieved
from Medical Boox website: http://www.medicalboox.com/2013/02/how-effective-is-drug-
testing-in.html
• WA Governement. (n.d.). Drink Driving Campaign. Retrieved from Government of Western
Australia website: http://ors.wa.gov.au/Campaigns/Drink-Driving.aspx
• Withers, J. (2013). Community Impact of Drug Abuse. Retrieved from eHow health:
http://www.ehow.com/about_5415046_community-impact-drug-abuse.html
• West, E. (2012). Minimum alcohol pricing – not an absolutely terrible idea. Retrieved from
The Telegraph website: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/edwest/100146529/minimum-
alcohol-pricing-not-an-absolutely-terrible-idea/