Los Angeles DUI and drug crime attorney Mary Masi is pleased to announce that she has published an article in the Los Angeles Daily Journal and San Francisco Daily Journal Print Editions. The article titled “A Cultural Reflection: The Crimes They Are a Changin’” discusses the changing nature of crimes in the country. In the article, Los Angeles criminal attorney Mary Masi explains that drug and alcohol-related crimes are the most prevalent today and contemplates ways in which society can popularize healthy alternatives to alcohol and drug use.
The measure of a society is to a degree reflected by how its vulnerable people are treated under the law. In the modern world, society is also measured by the character and prevalence of its crimes and misdemeanors. Without a doubt, drug and alcohol related crimes are the most prevalent today.
Outlaws used to rob banks and railroad cars, but in October of 2010 a pharmaceutical truck was robbed and the driver was kidnapped. The thieves stole only Vicodin and OxyContin, a painkiller thought of as synthetic heroin. The crimes they are a changin’.
Also in October, 52 people were arrested for organized crime racketeering involving Medicare fraud. Some of them may face allegations of forged prescription sales involving OxyContin. Racketeering for prescriptions? This is a cultural wake-up call without a snooze option.
The modern news is filled with similar cases, and heaven knows our jails and prisons are filled with people who would not be where they are without some connection to alcohol and drugs. Alcohol and drug related crimes and misdemeanors account for the vast majority of American crimes committed. Ask any defense attorney and they will tell you of the tragedies that would never have happened had someone not been under the influence, regardless of whether it may have been the person accused, their family members, or others. How did this happen?
Since the 1960s, pop culture has reflected a degree of “cool” rebellion in the illegal use of drugs and excessive use of alcohol to get high. Currently, one of the most tragic modern trends for trying to get high among teenagers is the self-imposed choking asphyxiation game. Sadly, criminal charges have begun to be filed in these cases in recent years. In 2010, in Wheat Ridge, Colo. a teenager was criminally charged with reckless endangerment when she performed the choking game on her friend, Gabrielle Abuzhars. Is criminalization really the best way to encourage kids to stop trying to get dangerously high? How can society popularize a mainstream advancement of effective positive solutions? The asphyxiation game is a clear cultural STOP sign. What’s next?
There are healthy alternatives to soothing and stimulating the oversized and often over-active human brain. For openers, simple exercise works pretty well. John J Ratey, MD, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School authored the book[ “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.”] He stated:
“Be clear. My analysis of the findings and testimonies and stories make it clear that exercise can play a huge role in the initial withdrawal, the initial and prolonged dealing with cravings, and offer a substitute activity addiction, like AA to help repopulate the frontal cortex choices of what and how to respond to eventual stressful situations, and losses.”
Statistically, Alcoholics Anonymous has the highest success rate in the long-term treatment of alcoholism and addiction. It would appear to be a no-brainer that exercise and nutrition can play an important treatment enhancement role. There are many other creative alternatives for treatment enhancement too. We as a society clearly need to use our healthy brains to develop and encourage more. Needless to say, it would help if some of the alternatives were perceived as “cool.” So, how exactly does a society make exercise, nutrition, and other healthy alternatives “cooler” than getting high? What if a few more trendy rock stars and former bad girls were selected to do some Nike commercials? Here’s a campaign slogan: “Just Do It Naturally – One Step at a Time.”
Mary Masi is a DUI and
Drug Crime Lawyer in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills. For more information, please visit http://www.marymasilaw.com.
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