1. ALCOHOL & OTHER DRUGS Chapter 4

2. Overview:  What’s drug abuse?  How do the social definitions of drugs change?  Nicotine  Alcohol  Drug use and the 3 theoretical perspective  Medicalizing human problems  Students and drug use  Marijuana  Social Policy: current approaches and possible solutions

3. Defining Drug Abuse  A drug is a substance that people take to produce a change in their thinking, consciousness, emotions, bodily functions or behavior. This includes heroin, aspirin, cigarettes, coffee, energy drinks, cocaine, and beer (some even claim that sugar is a drug!)  Drug Abuse—using drugs in such a way that they harm one’s health, impair one’s physical or mental functioning, or interfere with one’s social life.  No drug is good or bad in and of itself. A drug simply produces an effect and we LABEL this effect. The labels that we assign to the effects of drugs have changed throughout history. The symbolic interactionists would emphasize the meaning that we assign to the effect. We (individually and collectively) decide whether or not the effect is desirable, detrimental, or dangerous. That is, we interpret the effect.

4. Changing Social Definitions  Changing social definitions  It is not the objective conditions of drugs—such as whether or not they are harmful—that makes their use a social problem.  Rather, it is the surrounding subjective concerns that establish them as problems.  Subjective concerns are not fixed, but change over time. We may make the logical, or common sense assumption, that if a drug is illegal it is harmful and if it is legal, prescribed, or socially accepted, then it’s not harmful. History and current medical and sociological research show us that this is not the case. It’s our subjective concerns that matter most. For some examples, see the next few slides!

5. Prohibition:1920 - 1933 http://moretimespace.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/prohibition.jpg  Prohibition: The production, distribution, and consumption of alcohol was prohibited from 1920-1933  Consider that opium used to be legal  Cocaine was once prescribed by doctors  Cigarettes were once promoted by physicians……

6. Cigarette Ads from the 1940’s http://www.hemonctoday.com/images/hot/200903/LuckyStrike.jpghttp://www.nurtureyourown.com/img/Camel-ad1.jpg

7. The Scope of the Problem drug  A drug is a substance that people take to produce a change in their thinking, consciousness, emotions, bodily functions, or behavior.  People take many substances to cause such changes.  Essential difference among these substances is not which ones they use, but whether a substance is socially acceptable or disapproved of.  Far from being an antidrug society, we are actually a pro-drug society.  Are you thinking, wait a minute, we’re a pro-drug society? What about the “war on drugs” and the “get tough” approach?  The popular definition of a “drug” differs from the technical definition (see above)  The next few slides highlight 2 of the most popular drugs in our society: nicotine and alcohol

8. Nicotine as a social problem  One might take a common sense approach and assume that because tobacco (nicotine) is legal it must be safe. We are all aware that using tobacco is very harmful to human health  The Associated Press reports that a reduction in smoking could save $100 billion a year in US healthcare expenses. This affects us all, not just smokers, which is why it is a social problem For more info see http://scienceprogress.org/2009/06/smoking-costs/ http://scienceprogress.org/2009/06/smoking-costs/ Smoking is the single most preventable cause of premature death in the U.S.

9. Alcohol as a social problem  Alcohol is more dangerous than its broad social acceptability would imply.  Alcohol is also a legal drug, but consider that there are 10 million alcoholics in the U.S. and that 700,000 people are in treatment centers. As a result of alcohol use, billions of dollars are lost each year due to reduced productivity and alcohol-related accidents. These are the social problems related to alcohol, and ofcourse there are many personal and family issues associated with alcohol use  So we must ask: Why are some drugs outlawed and harmful while others are legal but also harmful? Applying the 3 theoretical perspectives can help us answer this question!

10. Looking at the Problem Theoretically: Symbolic Interactionism  Symbolic Interactionism  The meaning of a drug depends on who is defining it Is it the government? A doctor? Your peers? Our understanding of any drug use centers on the meanings that people attach to it  U.S. Temperance Movement (this influenced prohibition) Alcohol was a symbol Abstinence associated with morality, respectability, and being a hard worker Drinking associated with being unreliable, of questionable character, and uneducated This social construction of reality, or meaning given to alcohol use, helped to influence the laws at that time (prohibition, or making alcohol illegal). Of course, our views of alcohol have changed (as with most drugs), although the functions and dysfunctions of alcohol remain.

11. Looking at the Problem Theoretically: Functionalism  Drugs and alcohol have many functions in our society Functions are intended or recognized and have a positive effect on society Drugs and alcohol help us relax, they might help us focus better, wine enhances the taste of food, coffee and tea help us wake up in the morning, a cigarette break is a time to socialize etc. Dysfunctions are unintended or unrecognized and have a negative effect on society. Addiction, job loss, crime, and strained relationships are some of these (you can probably think of more).

12. Functionalism: manifest and latent functions and drug control  Recall that manifest functions refer to intended consequences or outcomes  Ie. a manifest function (or intended outcome) of strict drug laws is to reduce drug activity  Latent functions refer to UNintended consequences or outcomes  The latent function (or unintended outcome) of strict drug laws is organized crime and the serious overcrowding of prisons (we have the highest # of people in prison in the world) Marijuana: The manifest function (at least publically) of the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act was to protect the public from harm. The latent (and perhaps more accurate) function of the Marijuana Tax Act was to preserve the Bureau of Narcotics. By classifying marijuana as a narcotic (which it’s not) many bureaucrats got to keep their jobs. See “Reefer Madness” on page 98!

13. Looking at the Problem Theoretically: Conflict Theory  The conflict theorists see drug laws as a way to control less powerful groups in society.  Drug control is a tool used by the most powerful groups to control others and serve political and economic interests. For example, the illegal status of marijuana in most states is good for the tobacco and alcohol industry because they profit from marijuana’s illegal status. Consider that these are multi-billion dollar industries that are incredibly powerful. This power is used to influence politicians and to shape public perception through advertising. For example, the tobacco industry spends 13 billion dollars a year promoting cigarettes. That’s a lot of money (and power).

14. Conflict theory and drug laws con’t  Conflict theorists also stress that politicians use drug laws to control what are called “the dangerous classes.” This protects the interests of the higher classes (the wealthy)  In addition to social class, conflict theorists point out the influence of race and ethnicity in the formulation of drug policies. For example, drugs associated with higher status, such as powder cocaine, used to be penalized less severely than drugs associated with lower status, such as crack cocaine. In 1986 possessing crack cocaine was considered a federal offense, which carried penalties more severe than for powder cocaine. Since crack cocaine is more likely to be used by African Americans and powder cocaine more likely to be used by whites, this was recognized as racial discrimination. Laws have since changed, although the disparity in sentencing continues.

15. Medicalizing Human Problems Abuse of prescription drugs to get high has become increasingly prevalent among teens and young adults.  Pharm parties—new trend among youth These parties include taking various prescriptions drugs. The perception is that prescription drugs are “safer” than street drugs such as heroin or cocaine. This is a false perception.

16. Medicalizing Human Problems  Physicians now prescribe drugs for conditions that people used to assume were a normal part of life. For example, antidepressants and antianxiety medications are routinely prescribed to treat irritability and “not fitting in”. These are normal human feelings right? Who hasn’t been irritated, or felt like they haven’t fit in? Is it that we are feeling them more today than in the past? Or is it simply that because we have a label for it and a “solution” we are more likely to point out the problem? Does the solution create more of a problem than the initial problem it was intended to treat? These questions are debated.  Medicalizing human problems - offering a medical “solution” for the problems that people confront in everyday life.

17. Medicalizing Human Problems  Who benefits?  Drug industry  Physicians and pharmacists  The “patient”?  Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)  Inattentive or disruptive children  Currently 1 in 10 kids in the US is diagnosed with ADHD. Why?  Is the drug really for the patient or for those who would benefit economically? What other factors could be at work? See Changing Education Paradigms for one perspective of what these factors may be

18. Functions and Dysfunctions of Medicalizing Human Behavior  Functions of medicalizing ADHD/disruptive behavior are obvious.  “Drug therapy” helps authorities justify the confinement of the unruly. It makes kids more manageable.  There are dysfunctions involved in the medicalizing of everyday life.  Some schoolchildren get stuck with the label of hyperactive or mentally ill. How do these labels influence parent or teacher expectations or interactions?  Drug treatment can also bring horrible side effects.  This weeks’ film Medicating Kids presents some personal stories on this issue

19. Illegal Drug Use by Students  Most commonly used drugs:  Alcohol  Nicotine  Marijuana  High School  Students who plan to attend college use fewer drugs.  Men use more illegal drugs than women.

20.  This is a table found on page 92 in your book. Binge drinking is defined as 5 or more drinks in a row for men and 4 or more in a row for women. Nearly half of men in college have gone on an alcohol binge at least once in the past 2 weeks and almost three quarters of college men have used alcohol in the last month. What do you think about this?

21. Notice the drop over time AND by age group

22. Marijuana  Third most popular recreational drug in the United States- and now legal in the state of Washington  Before the Marijuana Tax of 1937 doctors used to prescribe marijuana for a number of ailments. Many advocates for the legalization of marijuana do so because of the positive affects marijuana has on treating some conditions (glaucoma, for example).  However, there are some negative side affects associated with marijuana use. Studies show that smoking marijuana impairs motor coordination and reduces awareness of external stimuli Associated with “Amotivational Syndrome” (no I’m not making this term up) which refers to lethargy, loss of concentration, and drifting from long-range goals  There are numerous perspectives on marijuana-An excellent website that presents both the pros and cons of marijuana use is: http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000141 If you are really interested in this issue I recommend The Science of Marijuana written by Leslie L. Iverson, a professor of pharmacology at the University of Cambridge in England

24. The Dilemmas of Social Policy Of all the social problems, developing adequate policies for drug use is most difficult. Theory and social policy  Social policy should be built around the dimension of social harm.  Symbolic interactionists say- define social harm.  Functionalists ask: at what point do drugs interfere with people and the welfare of society?  Conflict theorists say: social harm should be a prelude to wide-scale social change that leads to a more just and equal society.

25. The “Get Tough” Approach  The Get-Tough approach appears to be the dominant sentiment in the U.S.  Latent dysfunctions of criminalizing drugs:  Bankrolling of organized crime  Increase in muggings, burglaries, thefts, prostitution, and premature deaths  Worse than the original problem that the laws address?

26. Deciding Social Policy  Banning advertising  Drug education  Drug addiction social policy  Methadone Maintenance: example of how the labels illegal and legal play key role in developing social policy  Alcoholics anonymous  To be effective, social policy must match subculture of target group  How do you think we should handle drug and alcohol use in the U.S.?