What are the social effects of dangerous drugs on communities and the criminal justice system? As a society, we have this ability to have to label all things, good and bad. If we didn't do this, we wouldn't be able to live with ourselves. Just kidding, what I really mean is that all we hear on the news or read in the papers is how fucked up society really is. How serious the drug problem is. First of all, what are dangerous drugs? Drugs are chemicals that change the way a person's body functions. You've probably heard that drugs are bad for your health, but what does that mean and why are they bad? If you've ever been sick and had to take medication, you already know one type of medication. The medications are legal drugs, meaning doctors are allowed to prescribe them to patients, stores can sell them, and people are allowed to buy them. But it is neither legal nor safe for people to use these drugs as they wish or to buy them from people who sell them illegally. However, cigarettes and alcohol are two other types of legal drugs. (In the United States, those 18 and over can buy cigarettes and those 21 and over can buy alcohol.) Alcohol and tobacco are still legal but very dangerous because they are such a big market. Classifying them as dangerous would mean the collapse of two very large industries that not only employ millions of workers, but make millions of dollars for a few very powerful people. In other words, the sale of tobacco and alcohol brings millions of extra dollars in tax revenue to governments. (http://drbenkim.com). Tobacco is nothing compared to alcohol. To get seriously ill from smoking, you have to smoke a lot and probably for years. To completely destroy yourself or someone else (death), or to bring about the most indescribable social and emotional events...... middle of paper ...... provide a useful indicator of the presence of a drug, but they are also used by field investigators to examine materials suspected of containing a drug. There are five primary color tests. There's the Marquis, who turns purple in the presence of heroin and morphine. Marquis also turns orange-brown when mixed with methamphetamines and amphetamines. Then you have Dillie-Koppanyi which turns blue-purple in the presence of barbiturates. However, Duquenois-Levine turns purple in the presence of marijuana. Then the Van Urk test which turns blue-violet in the presence of LSD. The final primary color test is the Scott test which turns pink in the presence of cocaine. Many organizations are being created to try to help fight this disease. It is very difficult to overcome addiction, but it is possible with determination, willpower and the desire to quit...