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Week9_AlcoholandOtherDrugs.pptx
Alcohol and Other Drugs
Week 9
Drug Use in History
Ancient times
Mead, wine, opium/poppy seeds, cannabis, plants & herbs, coca leaves, cohoba/mimosa beans, tobacco
Humans have been using “drugs” for thousands of years
US History (during and post-colonization)
Tobacco in colonial era
Alcohol – rum and beer in mass quantities, later even more types and larger quantities
Coffee starting in the 19th century
Opium, cocaine, and marijuana
Illegality of Drugs
So, why did a lot of these drugs become illegal?
Racialization of drugs
Opium and Chinese immigrants
Cocaine and African Americans
Marijuana and Mexican immigrants
Drug Use Today
Drug: any substance other than food that affects the structure and/or functioning of the body when ingested/used/taken
Prescription drugs – 10s of billions of dollars annually
Alcohol, tobacco, and coffee are also drugs, even though we might not think of them as such
The distinction between legal and illegal drugs has no logical basis
Alcohol and tobacco cause the most harm even though they are legal
Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug (yes, it is still federally illegal and illegal in most states)
Although other illegal drugs have a low prevalence of use, millions still use annually
Annual Deaths from Legal and Illegal Drugs
Types of Drugs
Depressants: slow down the activity of the central nervous system
Aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, alcohol, barbiturates, sleep medicines
Hallucinogens: mind-altering drugs that cause delusions and hallucinations
Ecstasy, LSD, mescaline, PCP, psilocybin
Narcotics: Sometimes classified as depressants because they slow down the central nervous system, but still considered they’re own category; pain relief, euphoria, relaxation, drowsiness, addictive
All derived from opium; codeine, heroin, methadone, morphine
Stimulants: Opposite effect of depressants by speeding up the central nervous system; increase alertness and energy; produce euphoria or anxiety; addictive
Caffeine, cocaine, methamphetamine, nicotine (tobacco), Ritalin
Marijuana is its own category
Alcohol
Moderate use is relatively safe for most people and may have some health benefits, but people don’t always drink in moderation
Consequences of alcohol abuse: 18 million Americans abuse it
Personal health effects, traffic fatalities, violent crime
College Students
Full time college students, ages 18 – 22, drink more often and more heavily than their peers who are not in college
Binge drinking; poor academic performance, alcohol related injuries and deaths, assaults
Tobacco and Nicotine
Kills four times as many people every year as those killed by alcohol use
Because nicotine does not distort perception like alcohol or other psychoactive drugs, someone using tobacco can safely drive, operate machinery, etc.
About half of all cigarette smokers will one day die a premature death caused by a smoking-related illness
Lung cancer and lung disease, coronary heart disease, stroke, bladder cancer, cervical cancer, esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, throat cancer; lower bone density and high risk for hip fracture for women as they age
Americans spend $90 billion on tobacco products, annually
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. (April 3, 2014). The TEDS Report: Gender Differences in Primary Substance of Abuse across Age Groups. Rockville, MD.
Discussion
Why might these differences exist?
Does your own level of use or nonuse match the average for your own demographic?
Explaining Drug Use
Biological Explanations
Some people are more vulnerable to the effects and addictive properties of drugs; this is thought to be due to a biological or genetic predisposition
Research on twins has found that identical twins are more likely than fraternal twins to both have or not have alcohol problems
Still not well understood
Psychological Explanations
Predispositions based on personality differences including low self-esteem and self-confidence, low trust in others, need for thrills and stimulation
Sociological Explanations
Importance of social structure, social bonds to family & school, social interaction, and culture
What do sociological theories say?
Intersectional theorists: Focus on inequalities across race, class, gender, nationality, etc.
What would they say?
Drug Policy and “the War” on Illegal Drugs
Treatment: Intended for people who already use drugs and want to reduce or eliminate their drug use
Prevention: Strategy that tries to prevent drug use before it starts through education and drug testing
DARE: Police officers speak to middle-schoolers about drugs
Research shows that the DARE programs do not reduce subsequent drug use among their audiences compared to children who were not exposed
Harm Reduction: Strategy that attempts to minimize the harm caused by drugs
The war on drugs
Philosophical considerations: To what extent should the government in a free society outlaw behaviors that me be harmful, even if people want to engage in them?
Social science considerations: How might laws against drugs do mor harm than good?
Addressing the Drug Problem and Reducing Drug Use
Critics of current drug policies argue that because drugs will always be around, then our society should do what it can to minimize the harms that drugs cause instead of arresting and imprisoning people for using drugs.
Possible next steps:
Provide legally prescribed drugs for addicts
Encourage health-care providers to screen more carefully for drug use
Base drug sentencing on the level of violence in which some drug sellers engage rather than the quantity sold
Abandon DARE
Provide addicts with small cash payments for clean drug tests
Integrate former drug dealers and recovering addicts back into society
Raise alcohol taxes
Prohibit alcohol sales to anyone who has engaged in drunk driving or committed violence while under the influence of alcohol
Allow marijuana users to grow their own cannabis or buy from small growers
Raise the cigarette tax
