SOC 204 Drugs & SocietyChapter 2 Drugs in Contemporary Society

Happy Monday! How was your

weekend?

A. Awesome!

B. Okay.

C. Don’t even ask.

Aweso

me!

Okay.

Don’t eve

n ask.

0% 0%0%Response

How does drug use cost society?

Your thoughts:

Consequences for Society

Deaths

Emergency room visits

Drugs in the workplace and lost productivity

Broken homes, illnesses, shorter lives, etc.

Cost of maintaining habit

Cost of criminal behavior

Cost of treating patients

Fetal alcohol syndrome

Blood borne illnesses

Getting Information on Drug Use

Surveys

Hospital reports

Police reports

Can show trends over

time

What’s missing?

Extent of Drug Use

National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2010)

22.6 million Americans used illicit drugs

7 million used psychotherapeutic drugs non-medically

1.5 million were current cocaine users

28.8 million drove a car under the influence of alcohol

695,000 Ecstasy users, and 353,000 meth users

16.3% of pregnant women smoked cigarettes

2.5 million received substance abuse treatment for alcohol

69.6 million Americans smoked cigarettes

Have you used marijuana in the

last 30 days? ANONYMOUS

A. Yes

B. No

YesNo

0%0%

Have you had 5 or more drinks in one sitting

in the last 30 days? ANONYMOUS

A. Yes

B. No

YesNo

0%0%

Monitoring the Future Project Prevalence of use

Perceived risk and availability

Have you used non-prescribed narcotics in

the last 30 days? ANONYMOUS

A. Yes

B. No

YesNo

0%0%

Drug Abuse Warning Network

DAWN is a reporting system that collects information on the number of times drugs are implicated in both non-lethal and lethal visits to emergency rooms

Illicit drugs were responsible for the

most emergency room visits,

followed by pharmaceutical drugs

Data reflect acute drug problems,

not chronic drug use

DAWN gives information on:

A. The number of people

jailed for drug offenses

B. The number of times

drugs are implicated in

emergency room visits

C. The number of people

who admit drug use to

their doctors

The num

ber of p

eople ja

il..

The num

ber of t

imes d

ru..

The num

ber of p

eople w

..

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Changing Attitudes

What made the

government change from

the laissez-faire attitude

of the 1800s to one of

control?

Toxicity

Dependence

Crime

Society’s perception of drugs:

Influenced by social and

psychological factors

Illegal drugs are condemned more

than legal drugs

What do you think about government

regulation of drug use?

A. The government should be more involved

B. The government should be less involved

C. Our government is doing a good job currently

The governm

ent should

..

The governm

ent should

b...

Our gove

rnm

ent is d

oing..

0% 0%0%

ToxicityPhysical toxicity:

Danger to the body as a result of taking the drug

Behavioral toxicity:

Drug interferes with one’s ability to function

Acute toxicity:

Danger from a single experience with a drug

Chronic toxicity:

Danger posed by repeated exposure to the drug

Driving while drunk is an example

of:

A. Acute physical toxicity

B. Chronic physical toxicity

C. Acute behavioral toxicity

D. Chronic behavioral toxicity

Acute

physic

al toxic

ity

Chronic

physical t

oxicity

Acute

behavio

ral t

oxicity

Chronic

behaviora

l toxic

ity

0% 0%0%0%

Cirrhosis of the liver is an example

of:

A. Acute physical toxicity

B. Chronic physical toxicity

C. Acute behavioral toxicity

D. Chronic behavioral toxicity

Acute

physic

al toxic

ity

Chronic

physical t

oxicity

Acute

behavio

ral t

oxicity

Chronic

behaviora

l toxic

ity

0% 0%0%0%

Patterns of Use

Experimental Use Infrequent use motivated by curiosity

Social-Recreational Use Taking drugs to share pleasurable experiences among

friends

Circumstantial-Situational Use Short-term use to contend with immediate distress or

pressure

Patterns of Use

Intensified Use

Taking drugs on a steady basis to relieve a problem

Chronic Use

Indicates some extent of physical or psychological

dependence

Compulsive Use

Acquiring and consuming drugs is the main focus of life

Changing View on Dependence

Early medical model True addiction involves physical dependence; key is

treatment of withdrawal symptoms

Positive reinforcement model Drugs can reinforce behavior without physical

dependence

Psychological dependence is increasingly viewed as the driving force behind repeated drug use This refutes the sometimes common belief that drugs

that aren’t as strongly physically addicting are less dangerous

What do you think causes

“addiction”?

A. Genetics

B. Biology

C. Environment (family/peer)

D. Weak personality

E. Properties of the drug itself

Genetics

Biolo

gy

Environm

ent (fa

mily

/peer)

Weak

pers

onality

Propert

ies o

f the d

rug i

tself

0% 0% 0%0%0%

Substance Use Disorder DSM-5

Substance use disorders span a wide variety of problems

arising from substance use, and cover 11 different criteria:

1. Taking the substance in larger amounts

or for longer than you meant to

2. Wanting to cut down or stop using the

substance but not managing to

3. Spending a lot of time getting, using, or

recovering from use of the substance

4. Cravings and urges to use the

substance (psychological dependence)

5. Not managing to do what you should at

work, home or school, because of

substance use

6. Continuing to use, even when it causes

problems in relationships

7. Giving up important social, occupational

or recreational activities because of

substance use

8. Using substances again and again, even when it puts you in danger

9. Continuing to use, even when the you know you have a physical or psychological problem that could have been caused or made worse by the substance

10. Needing more of the substance to get the effect you want (tolerance)

11. Development of withdrawal symptoms, which can be relieved by taking more of the substance. (physical dependence)

Impacts of Drug Use

Family stability

Social behavior

Education and career

aspirations

Personal and social maturation

CORRELATION DOES NOT

EQUAL CAUSATION!

REMEMBER:

A correlate is:

A. A variable that causes something

B. A thing you keep horses in

C. A variable that is associated with something

A variable

that

cause

s s...

A thin

g you keep h

orses i

n

A variable

that

is as

socia

...

0% 0%0%

Response

Family

Association between drug use and the likelihood that a

couple will separate or divorce

Women subjected to violence have higher rates of alcohol

dependence and other drug abuse problems

Family interventions into adolescent alcohol use reduce the

initiation and frequency of alcohol use

Marijuana use by young Black males is significantly reduced

when both parents are present

Family Parental substance abuse is a

factor for 1/3 to 2/3 of all children

involved with the child welfare

system

Substance abuse is a factor in

many cases of child abuse and

domestic abuse

Alcohol use is associated with the

perpetration of sexual aggression,

especially toward boys **

Which of the following is not associated

with drug use in the family

A. Increased

violence

B. Higher divorce

rates

C. Low IQ

Incr

eased vi

olence

Higher d

ivorc

e rate

s

Low

IQ

0% 0%0%

Response

Social Behavior

Drug users display more independence, rebelliousness,

acceptance of deviant behavior, and rejection of moral and

social norms than nonusers

Children of parents who use drugs are more likely to engage

in delinquent behaviors

Stimulants such as methamphetamines and cocaine are

associated with violence, while marijuana and heroin are

more likely to produce a passive response

Social Behavior

Alcohol is the drug involved with the most violent

incidents

The level of aggression associated with alcohol is

dose related

Binge drinking is associated with unsafe sex and

violence, and with nonconsensual sex

Most cases of dating violence occurred in the

South, and in many instances, involved alcohol **

Drug users show higher levels of

acceptance of deviant behavior

A. True

B. False

True

False

0%0% Response

Alcohol is associated with

Response

0%

0%

0%

0%

0% A. Higher level of violent incidents

B. Dating violence

C. Unsafe sex

D. Nonconsensual sex

E. All of the above

EducationThere is a higher dropout rate from school for

those who used alcohol, illicit drugs, and cigarettes

There is a relationship between academic

performance and drug use

Drug use is assumed to be a predictor of welfare

dependency

Higher Education Act of 1965: College students

who are convicted of a drug offense are denied

federal financial aid

Do you feel that the regulations about

financial aid and drug convictions are fair?

Response

0%

0%

0%

0% A. Yes

B. No

C. Sometimes

D. I’m undecided

Effects of drug use by pregnant

women

Women whose babies

test positive for drugs

such as cocaine are

subject to losing custody

of their children

Risks to the baby:

Low birth weight

Premature birth

Miscarriage

Birth defects

Difficulty bonding

Learning disabilities

Compulsory drug testing in the

workplace is a GOOD idea.

A. Yes

B. No

YesNo

0%0%Response

Employment

Employed drug users have less stable job histories

than nonusers

Alcohol abusers earn significantly less money than

moderate drinkers and abstainers

Drug use is associated with higher accident rates

on the job and lower productivity

Drugs in the Workplace Substance abuse in the workplace results in:

Lessened productivity

Increased accidents, absenteeism, and health care costs

Highest rates of drug use are food service workers and construction workers – identifying drug problems in top-level managers is more difficult

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) help workers deal with problems that affect job performance, including alcohol or drug problems

Drug Testing In 2011, the federal government earmarked $283.1 million for

drug-related activities in schools

Random workplace drug testing has effectively identified

frequent users of illicit drugs

In many jurisdictions, physicians are required to report

women who use drugs during pregnancy or infants who test

positive for drug use by their mothers

Types of Drug Testing Immunoassay is fast and less expensive than other

methods but may give false positive readings

Gas chromatography is more expensive and time-consuming than other methods

Thin-layer chromatography is simple and inexpensive, but requires expert interpretation

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry is highly sensitive, but is time-consuming and expensive

http://www.aa

fp.org/afp/201

0/0301/p635.

html

Problems with Drug Testing False positive

A person tests positive for a drug even though no drug is present

in the person’s urine

False negative

A person tests negative even though drugs are present in the

person’s urine

Legality of Drug Testing

Debated in two cases

before the U.S.

Supreme Court:

Skinner v. Railway

Labor Executive

Association

National Treasury

Employees Union v.

von Raab

In both cases, the

Supreme Court ruled

that the testing

program was justified http://www.nolo.com/legal-

encyclopedia/free-books/employee-

rights-book/chapter5-3.html

How is drug use related to crime?

Intoxication causes behavior and personality

change

Crimes may be committed while intoxicated

Drug use/possession is a crime

Crimes to fund cost of drug use

Society tries to protect itself through regulation

Current laws may not be part of a logical plan,

ineffective or unrealistic

Crime: Drug Business Drug trade is a big business with no signs of slowing down

Tactics for stopping drug flow into the US – military force,

reducing aid to drug-producing countries, and promoting crop

substitution – are ineffective

Results in thousands needing medical care for drug

overdoses, and has an economic impact on the criminal

justice system and environment

Crime: Drug Business Colombia is the leading producer of cocaine

In Laos, Burma, and Thailand, opium production has largely

been replaced by methamphetamines

In addition to domestic production, marijuana is grown in

Asia, the Caribbean, and Mexico – Colombia is the largest

exporter

US National Drug Control Budget

Crime: Drug Enforcement• The narcotics trade is

tremendously profitable

• Even after billions of dollars

were spent on curbing drug

production, coca growth in

Colombia rose 27%

• Preventing drugs from

entering the United States or

reducing the amount of drugs

grown in the country is a

matter of demand, not supply

How should we deal with drug

problems?

Response

0%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0% A. Legalize drugs

B. Stop drugs at borders

C. Reduce demand (treatment/education)

D. Prevent production in other countries

E. End the “War on Drugs”

F. I’m not sure

How should we deal with drug problems?