For the Second Year Advocacy Project, I visited Drugs and Society, Love Your “Enemies” and High Medical Costs for Hospitalized Children. Drugs and Society was done by Emma Ferris and discussed the decriminalization of drugs in the United States. Luke Maloney’s project was Love Your “Enemies” and it focused on the negative political climate of the United States. Mary Conley’s High Medical Costs for Hospitalized Children main focal point was on the Ronald McDonald House and how it provides housing for families who have children staying in hospitals. Originally, I was signed up for Racial Disparities within Public Health and I would have loved to observe that project considering it is such a relevant and important issue today.
The project Drugs and Society really stuck with me out of all the projects I observed. The project focused on how the decriminalization of drugs has the possibility to save lives. The poster states that due to the decriminalization of drugs, there has been a decrease in HIV and overdoses. Portugal was used as an example where the decriminalization of drugs has had a positive effect. In Portugal, people are fined or sent to rehab for their drug use. As of 2017, Portugal only has four deaths for every one million people.
This project definitely gave me ideas for my project next year. Next year, I hope to focus on mass incarceration because it largely affects the African American community. In fact, a majority of those in prison is a result of a drug charge. So, I really believe in decriminalizing drugs especially marijuana.Ad