A Sociological Approach to Drug Use

1. A Sociological Approach to Drug Use Lecture 2

2. What to Expect in this Lecture • Overview of some basic concepts • Exploration of the problem of drug use as a “social construction” • Brief review of the history of drug use in American society

3. Basic Concepts: What is a “drug?” • Definition of “drug” depends on who is defining and purpose for definition • A drug is, in fact, “…something that has been defined by a certain segment of the society as a drug” • A “drug,” then, is a social construction • For purposes of this course, a pharmacological definition of drug is used • A “drug” is a substance that, when ingested, alters the functioning of the central nervous system

4. The Social Construction of Drug Scares (Reinerman) • Seven ingredients of a drug scare: • Kernel of truth • Media magnification • Politico-moral entrepreneurs • Professional interest groups • Historical context of conflict • Linking drug use to a “dangerous class” • Using drug as a scapegoat for many public problems • Why have drug scares been so prevalent in America? • Drugs provide a “vocabulary of attribution” • America developed as a temperance culture • America has developed into a post-modern mass consumer culture

5. Basic Concepts: What is Drug Use? • Drug use simply refers to the introduction of any substance defined as a drug into the organism • May be done in several ways, known as route of administration • Has profound implications for the effect that a drug might have on the user • Objective effect • Refers to effects which can reliably be measured (e.g., effect on heart rate) • Subjective effect • Refers to effects which are grounded in the experiential reality of the user

6. Basic Concepts:What is Drug Abuse? • Drug abuse is a much misunderstood and variously defined concept • Sociologists define drug abuse in relation to social roles • Definition: “…use of a substance or substances in such a way that it leads to measurable personal, interpersonal or social consequences

7. Basic Concepts: What Are Drug Addiction and Dependence? • Classical understanding of addiction: • Involves a physical tolerance to a substance such that termination of use results in withdrawal symptoms • Drug dependence is a broader term that connotes psychic and behavioral reinforcement • Sociologists further suggest that there may be a social basis for dependence

8. Determinants of Drug Effects • Objective effects • Characteristics of drugs • Characteristics of users • Interactive Effects • Subjective Effects • Set – mindset of user • Setting – social context of use • Chronic Effects

9. History of Drug Use • Use of psychoactive drugs is millennia old • Drugs and drug use were part of American culture from its very beginning • Major shift in America’s attitude and response to drugs between the 19th and 20th centuries

10. Nineteenth Century America:“Dope Fiend’s Paradise” • Drugs of many types were widely available in the 19th century through conventional sources • Obtained through doctors, mail order, and over the counter • Typical user of narcotics was a middle-aged, middle class woman • Little societal reaction to drug use at this time • Organized opposition did not begin until late 19th century

11. Twentieth Century America:Century of Repression • San Francisco Ordinance of 1875 • Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 • Harrison Narcotics Act • Volstead Act and the 18th Amendment • Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 • Controlled Substances Act of 1970 • Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988