Miltary soldiers and substance abuse Research Paper

Miltary soldiers and substance abuse - Research Paper ExampleSubstance and drug abuse in the troops is a public and national threat to the security of a country because such behaviors distract the preparedness of the force. Furthermore, the habit may result to soldiers personnel undermining the authority and strict orders that function to enhance the efficiency of the military, as well as risking their lives.The issue of drugs in the military is not something new it began during the Vietnam among the late 1960s and early 1970s. Records indicate that more 20% of the veterans of the Vietnam War reported using narcotic drugs on a weekly basis, with another 20% showing signs of addictions. After the Vietnam War, a few military personnel continued with the regular use of the narcotics, especially heroin and opium. There was some considerable lessening in the percentage of usage, but concerns were high regarding addiction. With the prevalence of the drugs problem within the force, Cush man ordered a crackdown on military personnel abusing drugs in the mid-1970s (Ruiz and Strain, 2011). Consequently, all military troops were confined to their respective bases, with increase in guard patrols and a thorough search on all personnel entering the bases. In rise to power to these measures, there were numerous establishments of emergency medical clinics across the forces.The military command also engaged in sensitizing the personnel on the physical and court-ordered consequences of substance abuse through all available media. The authorities published and distributed pamphlets to platoon leaders. Creation of drug abuse councils followed, with the initial duty to travel from whole to unit addressing the issue. These education programs seemed to fail in rooting out the issue, the command turned to punishment. However, the judicial system established could not court marshal all the soldiers, consequently they turned to administrative discharges to get rid of