By an anonymous McCormack Graduate School student

Impairment conjures up the images of intoxicated bar patrons causing trouble at the end of the night or a drunk driver being stopped by the police. However instead of alcohol being a primary factor in crimes these days, law enforcement is now seeing a trend that drugs, especially opioids, fuel most violent crime, property crime, and impaired driving.

In recent years, the National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence has seen a steady increase in substance-related crimes resulting in three types of drug crime: use, economic, and system-related. System drug crime is associated with the sale, manufacturing, and transportation of illegal narcotics. Primarily this is where law enforcement focuses most of their resources to, as they say, “take the head off the snake.” However, we are more familiar with use and economic drug crimes as these often affect individuals at a personal level. Continue Reading →