Drugs

6 Pages 1383 Words

The state of Illinois, specifically the Chicago area, is the focal point for the flow of illicit drugs into the Great Lakes Region. Chicago is the major hub for the delivery and transshipment of drugs throughout the Great Lakes Region and the Midwest. Three major types of trafficking groups are responsible for most of the drugs in Illinois. Mexican polydrug organizations, Colombian drug organizations trafficking in cocaine and heroin, and Nigerian groups trafficking in Southeast Asian heroin are the major transporters and wholesale distributors of drugs in Chicago. The most common means traffickers use to transport drugs into Chicago are commercial trucks, passenger vehicles, package delivery services, air packages or couriers, and railways. Organized street gangs such as the Gangster Disciples, Vice Lords, and Latin Kings control the distribution and retail of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. Violent crime associated with street gangs, while declining in some urban areas, is increasing in suburban and rural areas of the state as these gangs expand their drug markets.
Drug use affects the human organism in several ways. A division can be made between psychoactive effects such as changes in perception, cognition, affect, and levels of anxiety or inhibition. Physical effects like increased or diminished heart function, lung function and muscle tension. It is primarily the former effects, which make drugs desirable, and are a major reason for their use. Some of the physical effects --enhanced or enduring bodily performance from stimulants, muscle relaxation or sleep from tranquilizers.
These psychoactive and physical effects are influenced by the dose, administration mode, psychological or physical condition of the consumer, and the social environment in which drugs are taken. Many of the physical effects are termed --because t...