SOC211H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Public Health, Legal Intoxicant, Methadone
Document Summary
Different drug, but same reason and motivation for use. No single combination that distinguishes a drug from a non-drug. Drug: any substance that by its chemical or physical nature alters the structure or function in the living. Same drug, same person, but different level of influence over the individual. The deviant character of using a drug depends on the social norm (entirely socially constructed). organism: the o(cid:374)l(cid:455) (cid:272)hara(cid:272)teristi(cid:272) that drugs share, is that the(cid:455) are la(cid:271)elled as (cid:862)drugs(cid:863), definitions evolve as social attitudes evolve. During the 19th century, drugs addiction was a personal problem no larger concern for the social sphere. Over time, attitudes defining drug use as deviant evolved. Cocaine was once acceptable (stimulant in wine products). Marijuana (division between youthful protest and mature consumerism: gateway drug into further addiction. Largely evolved with mounting evidence (fewer addictive qualities, widely consumed by people. Social policy historically targets drug use along lines of power (e. g. war on drugs; mms)
