Experimentation of Drugs and Abuse - Term Paper Example

Drug Abuse A) Introduction     Drug abuse causes a lot of problems in the society like untimely death, deadly diseases, and increases criminal activities in the society. As we look around the society we will find that the use of drugs is increasing among the youth to a large extent. Many surveys which have been conducted in the US give testimony to the fact that drug abuse among the youths have increased. The research question on which this paper will focus is ‘whether the use of drugs increased among the youths in the last decade?’     Drug Abuse is generally defined as “the excessive and persistent self-administration of a chemical substance without regard for medically or culturally accepted terms”. (Redda, Walker and Barnett, 1989, p.1) Drug abuse is also known as substance abuse or chemical abuse. Drug abuse interferes with the health of an individual and also causes hindrance to the normal functioning of a person in the society. The concept of drug abuse should not be confused with drug misuse. The difference between drug abuse and drug misuse is that the former involves intake of inappropriate substances whereas the latter means taking of prescribed drugs in inappropriate proportion. (Redda, Walker and Barnett, 1989) B. ) Literature review (summaries)     A number of cross-sectional studies have shown that the experimentation of drugs begins in the adolescent years and reaches its peak between the age of 18 and 22. It has also been found that the use of drugs is surprisingly more among the minority youth population. A lot of focus has been provided to the drug abuse among the youth because drug abuse among the young people can cause a number of problems like, school dropouts, family dysfunction, truancy, delinquency, poor performance in the school and exhibition of unconventional behaviors in the form like drinking, taking of risks and early sexual activity. (Kopstein, 1998)     In the article, “Canada now a major drug player: Report”, the issue which has been discussed was that Canada has become a major player in the world market of drugs. A bulk amount of drug seizure has taken place in Canada in the year 2007. And the article also reported that the motor cycle gangs were mostly engaged with the drug marketing in Canada which gives us evidence of the fact the participation of the youth in drug abuse are increasing in Canada and it is becoming a social problem in the country. (Lake, 2009)     “Ontario should continue to fight menace of Marijuana” is an article which debates that it would be profitable for Canada to legalize marijuana become through its sale the Canadian government would be able to earn a lot of revenue. But the question here remains that any government body which is concerned about the well being of the people of Canada cannot legalize marijuana in the country. Therefore the McGuinty Liberal government has tried to control the availability of marijuana in the country. As a result the intake of marijuana among the youths of Canada has declined. Thus it can be said that if the government implements more stricter norms to control the availability of marijuana in the country it is bound to succeed in the same manner as it had succeeded in the Ontario anti-smoking campaign. (Leishman, 2009)     Canadian herb is not the only drug that is available in Canada has been told in the article, “Canada major player in illegal drug trade”. The article has also said that the drug trade in Canada is on the higher side mainly because of the globalized nature of the drug trade in the country. It has also been mentioned that as the Asian gangs in Canada and those of the South-East Asia are working together to make the drug trade successful in Canada. And as a result Canada has achieved a higher position in the drug trade of the world. (Cherry, 2009)     The article, “Energy drinks promote drug abuse” has discussed how energy drinks can lead the youths towards drugs. The article had thrown light on the fact that how energy drinks and substance abuse are co-related and it has maximum effect on the youths. Both the things are closely related because the caffeine content of energy drink negated the effect of intoxication which substance abuse produces. As a result the youths are able to enjoy the drugs without being completely intoxicated. Therefore the parents and academic authorities should be alert when they see a lot of use of energy drinks by the youths. (Kathleen and Miller, 2008)     The article “Marijuana use among Teens” discuses the issue that the marijuana use among the youth has increased in the last decade during the period 1991 to 2001. The article has also talked about the reasons as to why the youths engage in more of marijuana use. The prime reasons are viewing of marijuana use in various forms like close associates and favorite heroes and singers. The most important being peer pressure. Regular marijuana use by the youths create kind of dependence on the substance and which in turn create a lot of physical as well as psychological complicacies. The best way to tackle the problem of marijuana especially among the youth is to give the teen’s adequate information about the ill effects of marijuana with the help of magazines and articles. (Marijuana use among Teens, n.d)     Barrett in his article has said that USA is highest among all the industrialized with regard to the use of drugs among the youths. Studies have indicated that peer pressure is the prime cause which initiates the use of drug. The desire to receive peer acceptance plays a major role for the teens to take up drugs. And the article also reflects on the severe consequences which the intake of drugs can have on an individual. In order to check the intake of drugs it is necessary that the school authorities play an effective role. The article has suggested some of the ways by adopting which the school authorities can adopt in order to reduce the intake of drugs among the youths. The schools can undertake various programmes focusing on the ill effects if drugs and the teachers can include the drug prevention measures in their curriculum. The first step to reduce the intake of drugs among the youth is to learn to say no to peer pressure. (Barrett, 1985)     All these articles stand as evidence to the fact that the use of drugs has increased among the American youths in the recent years. Drug abuse is just not a simple social problem it has roots deep down in the structure of the society.  C. ) Relation to sociological theory:     Research has found out that the society does not entrust a particular role to the youths of the society. The only roles assigned to them are dependents, subordinates and students. As a result the young population finds it very difficult to place them in the mainstream of the society and that is the reason they develop a culture of their own which is known as the youth subculture. If the concept of youth subculture and substance abuse are taken in to account we will see that the main reasons which initiate the use of drugs among the youth are first of all through the use of drugs they feel that they are able to rebel against their parents. Other motives behind drug abuse include loyalty to the peer group and taking up the risk of using drugs as a challenge. (Shaw, 2002)     According to the Structural-Functionalist approach of Durkheim a society is an organized machine with a set of norms and rules that one should follow. Deviation from the set norms happens when a group or an individual is unable to attain his or her desired role in the society. And according to Durkheim during that time anomie takes place in the society which is defined by helplessness and the lack of regulation in the society. Such a situation develops when people fail to build up an attachment with the society as a whole. Thus taking cue from this we can say that it is natural for the youths to engage in more and more drug intake. This is because the youths in the society fail to locate themselves within the mainstream and hence do not develop an attachment with the society as a whole. Due to this they engage in drug abuse which is a form of deviant behavior and in a way they try to find a kind of recluse in the drug abuse. (Holmes, 2002) Moreover Durkheim had also said that as the society advanced and moved away from the collective structure to the individualistic structure many of the members of the society were left in a situation of anomie. Putting it in a simpler manner it can be said that Durkheim was of the opinion that division of labor in the modern society brought forth a lot of strain on the members of the society. (Holmes, 2002) If the substance use among the youths are studied from this perspective it can be said that as the society became a lot more segregated the youth did not find much comfort within their family as a result they got more attached to their peer groups. Due to this the learning experiences of the youths started being more influenced by their friends and as substance abuse was already an integral part of the youth subculture it became more widespread after the modernization of the society. It can also be said that as segregation had created anomie the youths became perplexed and felt that getting involved in drugs was a great challenge for them. D) Critical analysis of the article, “Drug trade at heart of violence” by Jacob Mindelle.     In the article, “Drug trade at heart of violence” the issue which has received focus is that crime rates are increasing in the society with the escalating use of drugs in the Canadian society. As people engage in more and more of substance abuse they tend to participate in gruesome crimes like murder and rape. It has been mentioned in the article that intake of drugs can be reduced with the help of education about the ill effects of drug and mere prohibition cannot reduce the use of drugs. Even if there is prohibition those addicted to the substances will find ways to get it rather they make also engage in violent activities to get hold of the drug. On the contrary if proper education is inculcated into the minds of the people right from a tender age it can be said that the chances to reduce the use of drugs in the society increases. Moreover if we try to look at this issue from a sociological perspective it can be said that drug problem is not at all a private trouble it is a social issue and can be combated only with the social co-operation. (Jacobs, 2009)     This article in fact can be a cue to the theory provided by Mills. In the book, “The Sociological Imagination” Mills had said that, “Neither the life of an individual nor the history of the society can be understood without understanding both” (Mills, 2000, p.3). According to Mill all changes that comes about in individuals is due to the changes which the societies witness in the various time periods. He had also said that in order to defend self interest a man becomes morally insensible rather an individual runs the danger of being trapped under the private. In his book we could locate a very important area of social life. He had talked about the “personal troubles of the milieu”, (Mills, 2000, p.8) by which he meant that trouble is very much an individual concept as it originates within the individual and hence it is a private matter of the individual. On the other hand issue is of a wider domain and falls under the purview of the organizations. At this juncture we are able to say that troubles and issues are very different concepts but we if we look more closely we will see that both the concepts are well related. From this perspective if we try to look at the issue of drug abuse we can say that getting addicted to drugs is a personal trouble but when we consider the problem of drug abuse among the youths it is an issue and taking cue from here we can say that a trouble gradually develops into an issue. And hence there is no scope to separate the private and the public. Thus we can say that the drug abuse among the youths is a collective issue and not an individualistic matter. E) Conclusion:     Thus closely studying the articles and the various sociological perspectives provided by Durkheim and Mills we can conclude our essay saying that drug abuse is not an individualistic affair. It is a collective issue which has its root in individualistic troubles. Drug Abuse is a threatening issue which threatens countries like USA and Canada. Drug Abuse has increased a lot in the Canadian society because of the new trend of globalized marketing whereby the youths are able to earn fast money and thereby tries to make their position important in the society. It can also be said that drug abuse among the youths is a way out of anomie. Moreover drug abuse in the society can be curbed only with the proper dissemination of information about the ill effects of drug abuse; mere prohibition will not address the issue adequately. Taking cue from this we can say that it is the responsibility of the society as a whole to make efforts which will reduce the abuse of drugs especially among the youth.    References 1. “Marijuana use among Teens”: (n.d) Teen Drug Abuse, available athttp://www.teendrugabuse.us/marijuana.html, (accessed on 08/07/2009). 2. Barrett J, (1985). “Drug Abuse: Prevention Strategies for Schools. ERIC Digest 17”. Eric Educational Reports, available athttp://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_pric/is_198600/ai_4228911792/?tag=content;col1, (accessed on 08/07/2009). 3. Cherry T, (2009). “Canada major player in illegal drug trade”. Sun Media: available athttp://www.winnipegsun.com/news/canada/2009/06/24/9916336-sun.html, (accessed on 08/07/2009). 4. Holmes S, (2002). Profiling violent crimes: an investigative tool. UK: Sage 5. Jacobs M, (2009). “Drug trade at heart of violence”, available athttp://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/mindelle_jacobs/2009/02/27/8551236-sun.html, (accessed on 08/07/2009). 6. Kathleen and Miller E, (2008). “Energy drinks promote drug abuse”, available athttp://lifestyle.in.msn.com/health/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1589766, (accessed on 08/07/2009). 7. Kopstein A, (1998). Drug Use among Racial/Ethnic Minorities. Pennsylvania: Diane Publishing. 8. Lake R, (2009). “Canada now a major drug player: Report”. London: Sun Media Corporation. 9. Leishman R, (2009). “Ontario Should Continue to Fight Menace of Marijuana”. London Free Press: available athttp://www.cannabisnews.org/canadian-cannabis-news/ontario-should-continue-to-fight-menace-of-marijuana/, (accessed on 08/07/2009). 10. Mills C, (2000). The Sociological Imagination. USA: Oxford University Press. 11. Redda K, Walker C and Barnett G, (1989). Cocaine, Marijuana, Designer Drugs: Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Behavior. USA: CRC Press. 12. Shaw V, (2002). Substance use and abuse: sociological perspectives. Santa Barbara: Greenwood Publishing Group. Read More