Drugs and Society questions

Drugs & Society Summer 2015

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Final Exam

Section 1

Answer SEVEN of the following questions. (5 points each)

A. Discuss the supply sources of at least three drugs. How does the range of supply countries make it difficult to “stomp out” the drug trade?

B. Discuss the acute and chronic effects of narcotics (opiates). Why has there been a recent resurgence of opiate addiction in the United States?

C. Discuss three myths of the illicit drug trade. D. Discuss two of the four categories of Faupel’s drug using subculture framework as it applies to

heroin users.

E. Discuss the trends and concerns with both the medical and non-medical use of prescription amphetamines over the past two decades.

F. Drug researchers have proposed three models of the nexus between drug use and violent behavior. Briefly discuss two of these models. According to sociologists, which model is the most

accurate? Why?

G. Discuss the trends of Meth use in the United States. How has it been characterized by the media? How accurate has this portrayal been?

H. Some researchers criticize the metaphor of waging a “war” on drugs. Discuss the reasons why this is problematic.

I. Discuss the legal status of khat in the United States. Next, discuss why the use of khat in Yemen considered a problem.

J. Some pharmaceuticals were much more commonly prescribed at one time, but today are prescribed much less frequently. Pick two such substances and explain the dramatic decline in

psychiatric use.

K. Discuss the routes of administration of both powder and crack cocaine. Discuss which routes are more prevalent and which are more habit forming.

L. According to Sifaneck et al. (2003), what are blunts and blowtjes and why are they used differently?

M. Discuss the concept of the harm reduction approach. Provide at least one example of a harm reduction policy in your response.

N. Compare and contrast current drug policy models in Portugal and Netherlands. How successful have these policies been?

Section 2

Answer THREE of the following questions (5 points each)

A. Racism and ethnic prejudice played a role in the most important pieces of anti-drug legislation passed during the twentieth century. Describe the role race and/or ethnic prejudice played in the

passage of THREE pieces of legislation.

B. Rosenbaum (#38) discusses the problems of drug use education programs in the United States. List and discuss two of these problems. What does she propose as an alternative drug education

program? Be sure to be specific about what her plan entails.

C. Explain the concept of the Prison Industrial Complex and discuss what critics argue the consequences of this phenomenon are and how it relates to the War on Drugs.

D. In the article, Getting Huge, Getting Ripped, what were the motivations and usage patterns of the anabolic steroid users? Give specific examples.

E. Briefly discuss how drug policy shifted between the Nixon years to the Obama years. F. In the article, Gen-X Junkie, how did users “turn on” to heroin and what was the importance of

their social networks?

Drugs & Society Summer 2015

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Rules of the Exam

 All exams are due by 5pm on Friday June 19th on Blackboard.

 Please organize your exam by section. Label your sections and identify each of your answers using the designated letter.

 You are welcome to use your notes, the book, or the posted slides to help you with your exam; however, these exams are to be done individually. Please DO NOT work together

on these exams.

 The internet is a wonderful resource, but please DO NOT use online sources for this exam. Any instance of plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the exam.

 I am happy to answer questions, but I will not be able to explain terms and such. At this point, you are on your own with the material.

 A general tip on crafting your responses: Be sure to address all aspects of the question, provide examples, and clearly state your ideas. These need not be extensive essays. I suspect they will

range from 6-10 sentences depending on individual writing styles. Those of you with more

parsimonious styles may end up including all the information needed in fewer sentences while

those with more verbose styles may need more. I will be grading on the content and

thoughtfulness of your answer rather than zeroing in on the length.

 Good Luck!!! All the best to you in your future endeavors 