Letter for Proposing a Bill Regarding Drug Abuse
As you have discovered through this course, nurses are influential members of the community and the political system. Therefore, for the purposes of this assignment you will identify a problem or concern in your community, organization, etc. that has the capacity to be legislated. You will conduct research and state a proposal. Through the legislative process, your proposal for the problem or concern may influence an idea for change into a law.
First, refer to the "How a Bill Becomes a Law" media.
http://lc(dot)gcumedia(dot)com/zwebassets/courseMaterialPages/nrs440v_how-a-bill-becomes-a-law-v2.1.php
Then, view the "Bill to Law Process" to watch the scenario.
After viewing the scenario, refer to the "Legislative Assignment." You will need to save the document first in order to use it.
SITUATION: IS THIS SOMETHING THAN CAN BE LEGISLATED?
- Identify the problem/concern:
- State your proposal/idea.
BACKGROUND: DO YOUR RESEARCH
- Include studies, reports, personal experience, or anecdotal stories related to your proposal.
- Has there been similar legislation introduced and/or passed in other states? If so, include it.
ASSESSMENT: FINANCES AND STAKEHOLDERS
- Identify financial impact if any (e.g., added costs, cost savings, increased revenue):
- Identify stakeholder groups that would support this bill:
- Identify people/groups that would oppose this bill:
RECOMMENDATION
- Make an appointment with your legislator to discuss your proposal.
Submit the assignment to the instructor. You also reserve the right to submit your completed proposal to the respective government official. However, this is optional. If you select to submit your proposal as a part of the legislative process, refer to "Find Your Representative" or research the contact information on your own.
APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.
Student:
Professor:
Course title:
Date
Address
Date
Senator Joel Anderson,
San Diego State Legislature
State Capitol, CA 95814
Dear Senator Joel Anderson,
I write this letter to seek your audience and indulgence on an issue that I have found to be pressing on the community of San Diego which you represent. Abuse of drugs has become common in the world today. A more worrying trend is the fact that these who are using the drugs are mainly young people some of whom are yet to attain the age of majority (Belenko, 2009). Of even greater concern is the fact that the drugs appear to be so readily available and affordable so that young people even those outside the working class bracket can still afford.
I propose the creation of a law that makes all drugs however mild illegal to children. Further, the law should ensure that harsh penalties are imposed on those found distributing such drugs to people below the age of majority. In addition, the law should ensure that those drugs that are legal are not readily avail be in the streets. This will ensure that young people do not have easy access to these drugs.
Researches that have been conducted over time indicate that over the years, the number of young people who access and use drugs has been on the rise. This is mainly attributed to easy access of the drugs. There are many drugs that are sold like sweets in the market for any person to buy. It is sad to note that the dealers of these drugs are more interested in making a kill than protecting the lives of young people. As a result, peddlers target school going children and sell them sweets and cakes that have drugs implanted in them as a way of enticing them.
Researches further show that even the drugs that are declared illegal by law still find their way into the mainstream market. This is because it has become increasingly difficult to control and shut down the black market. A lot of loopholes some of which are legal in nature exist when it comes to drugs. It has also been discovered that some of the officials in governments who are supposed to aid and combat the menace that is drug abuse have been colliding with the peddlers. This makes it difficult to really with the issues at hand as far as drug abuse is concerned.
The federal governments has over the years attempted to curb the menace that is drug abuse by coming up with various legislations. Each legislation, however, was seen to be specific as opposed to be inclusive. There are legislations that prohibit the use of certain drugs such as marijuana, heroin and other drugs which are considered to have adverse health effects. However, there are no general laws that specifically address drug abuse in America. It is for this reason that there still exist loopholes in the legal framework making too difficult to fight the menace of drug abuse in the country (Lowinson, 2010).
One of the legislations that was put in place is Drug Dealer Liability Act. The legislation came into being in the year 1999. The aim of the legislation was to curtail the activities of those that were involved in drug dealing. Although the legislation had good intentions, failure to address all the issues saw many loopholes. This meant that it was not successful in curtailing the drug menace. This proposed law will consider the provisions of earlier legisl...