PSYC 2120 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Harm Reduction, Drug Withdrawal, Mouthwash
19 Dec 2017
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Department
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Social Consequences of the War
on Drugs: The Legacy of Failed
Policy
-the war on drugs seems to have had no effect on illegal drug use
-with law enforcement personnel being redirected away from other types of crime in favor of
drug offenses, prison populations have exploded
-harsher sentences are required for crack than powder cocaine (same substance)
-state intorusion into the civil arena has caused issues when it comes to the due process rights
of Americans
-public school students are required to take drug tests and dogs are used to find ilegal drugs
on school grounds without search warrants
-crime control is a basic industry in the US, where the prison construction boom gives capacity
for utilization (prison capacity- if you build it, they must come)
Prison Capacity
-prison populations are more likely to increase in the years immediately following construction
than at any other time
-the prison industry needs inmates for prison expansion
-the war on drugs has led to racial disproportions in prison populations (6/10 black males
between 18-34 years old)
-the government and rich people benefit in prison development (companies use prison labour,
economic development, more jobs, more money to the community) so the government invests
in prisons rather than programs to prevent criminal activity
-significant predictors of growth in prison populations were higher rates of unemployment and
declines in welfare spending
Diminished Life Chances
-incarceration is concentrated among young, uneducated, black men
-average times served for nonviolent drug offences were closer to those for violent crimes than
property crimes
-the disproportionality of incarceration by race is enforced by the 100:1 sentencing ration for
crack offenses
-blacks in prison for drug offense were encarcerated 2 years longer than whites in prison for
violent crimes
-once these men a released from prison they deal with unemployment (laws have been
passed to resptict the kinds of jobs ex-convicts can be hired for), restricted access to welfare
benefits
-with the decline of economically stable black men, black women-headed households with
children in poverty increased (the strongest predictor of urban violence is family structure)
HIV/AIDS
-the rate of mortality for HIV-infected prisoners is 3x the rate in non-prison communities
-the high rate of sexual assault, IV drug syringe sharing, and piercing needle sharing in prisons
can facilitate the spread of HIV
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
-although many americans and policy makers view prisoners as unworthy of compassion
(won’t provide sterile needles, condoms, etc), the inmates will be released eventually and
spread their diseases to the rest of the american population
Medicinal Marijuana
-marijuana is one of the safest theraputically active substanc known to man
-federal drug agencies have vested interest in keeping marijuana illegal
The War on Drugs and Disenfranchisement
-felon disenfranchisement has altered U.S. senate elections and at least one presidential
election
-the consequence of disenfranchisement by the war on drugs is further attenuation of black
political power, and an increase in racial disparity
-urban areas have traditionally been strongholds of minority poiticians, but with the
disenfranchisement of their supporters, the city will have to be restructured (fewer welfare
programs)
Conclusion
-the solution is to place drug offenders in treatment and fewer in prison
Harm Reduction- What’s in a
Name?
-Illegal drug use us a problem in Canada is an economic burden on health care and law
enforcement and loss of productivity because of premature death and disability
-Injection Drug Use is of concern because it spreads HIV and hepatitis C (blood-bourne
pathogens)
-harm reduction programs have been put in place to minimize the adverse health and social
consequences associated with drug use without requiring the individual to discontinue drug
use
-this serves as a bridge to treatment and rehab services
Key Principles of Harm Reduction
-pragmatism
•some level of drug use in sociaety is expected, and this is a more feasible option than
efforts to eliminate drug use entirely
-humane values
•no moralistic judgments is made about an individual’s decision to use substances
-focus on harms
•the first priority is to reduce the risk of negative consequences of drug use to the individual
and others
-balancing costs and benefits
•evaluations are carried out in order to focus resouces on priority issues
-priority of immediate goals
•tachieving the most immediate needs are the first steps towards risk-free drug use or
discontinued use
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Social consequences of the war on drugs: the legacy of failed. The war on drugs seems to have had no effect on illegal drug use. With law enforcement personnel being redirected away from other types of crime in favor of drug offenses, prison populations have exploded. Harsher sentences are required for crack than powder cocaine (same substance) State intorusion into the civil arena has caused issues when it comes to the due process rights of americans. Public school students are required to take drug tests and dogs are used to nd ilegal drugs on school grounds without search warrants. Crime control is a basic industry in the us, where the prison construction boom gives capacity for utilization (prison capacity- if you build it, they must come) Prison populations are more likely to increase in the years immediately following construction than at any other time. The prison industry needs inmates for prison expansion.
