How is humanity governed? The world, as seen today, is an extremely diverse nation with diverse backgrounds, traditions and customs. The ones mentioned above are informal social controls used to help govern citizens in an unceremonious manner. These informal controls have evolved over time into formal controls, laws, to try to restore harmony within a society and punish those who violate the laws. Laws are defined as a set of rules developed by a legislative body to maintain order and peace of an organized people. Laws can be used as an umbrella to cover a multitude of subsets, such as political, administrative, financial, and civil infractions. Crimes against public order can also fall into a subcategory of criminal legislation. When defining a criminal offense there are two sides of the spectrum, the victim and the offender. Drug use and drug-related crimes are the most prominent association when it comes to violations of federal and state laws. So what happens when there is no apparent “victim”? Is there such a thing as a “victimless” crime? It may seem that law and order and drug crimes have no immediate effect, but over time they harm our nation as a whole. In criminology Larry Siegel defines crimes against public order as “crimes involving acts that interfere with the operations of society and the ability of people to function efficiently” (Siegel). So what is the difference between violating the “law ” and commit crimes against “public order”? Public order crimes are often seen as laws that have no apparent victim. Such crimes may include prostitution, drunkenness and disorderly conduct, gambling, use and drug abuse. Drug use and abuse are one of the most harmful crimes for public order...... half of the newspaper......, Larry J. (2006). theories, models and typologies, 9th edition. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing. “Gang Membership, Drug Dealing, and Violence in Neighborhood Contexts.” JQ: Justice Quarterly 26 (4): 644-69. March 15, 2014. Carson, Ann E. and Daniela Golinelli, Prisoners in 2012: “Trends in Admissions and Releases, 1991-2012” (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice Statistics, December 2013. Web. February 2, 2014. National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIDA Publication on the Web-Based Statistical Query and Reporting System (WSQARS): www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/nation-wide-trends April 10, 2014 .Davenport-Hines,. Richard. 2002. Crimes affecting public order. 5th edition: Prentice Hall, 2002. P. 14 Web 2014.