CRM/LAW C109 Chapter Notes - Chapter 11: Social Disorganization Theory, Designer Drug, Hashish
16 Jun 2018
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Chapter 11: Drug Use and Delinquency
I. Frequently abused drugs
A. Marijuana and hashish
1. Creates distortions in auditory and visual perception, hallucinatory effects
2. Small doses produce excitement that gives way to drowsiness
3. Decreased activity, overestimation of time and space, increase food
consumption
4. Causes physical and mental problems
B. Cocaine
1. First a medicinal breakthrough to relieve fatigue, depression, and other
symptoms
2. Produces euphoria, restlessness, excitement
3. “Crack” is the street form of cocaine
C. Heroin
1. Insensibility to pain and free mind of anxiety and emotion
2. Euphoria followed by period of apathy
D. Alcohol
1. Drug choice for teens
2. To reduce tension, enhance pleasure, improve social skills
E. Other drug categories
1. Anesthetic drugs: CNS depressants, produce loss of sensation, stupor, or
unconsciousness
2. Inhalants: reach a drowsy state that has hallucinations, short term
euphoria and disorientation, slurred speech, drowsiness
3. Sedatives and barbiturates: depress CNS in sleep-like condition
4. Tranquilizers: originally to control behavior of people suffering from
psychosis, aggressiveness, and agitation.
5. Hallucinogens: produce vivid distortion of sense without disturbing
consciousness, may cause psychotic behavior
6. Stimulants: increase blood pressure, breathing rate, bodily activity, and
mood elevation
7. Steroids: teens use anabolic steroids to gain muscle and strength; health
problems associated
8. Designer drugs: lab created synthetics designed to get around existing
drug laws. I.e ecstasy → stimulant and hallucination
9. Cigarettes: children and adolescents have easy access to these products
II. Trends in teenage drug use
A. The monitoring the future survey
1. Drugs use among american adolescents continue to decline from the
peak levels reached in 1996 and 1997
2. Annual drug use was down by more than one-third for 8th graders during
this period, while reductions are lower for those in 10th and 12th grades
3. Drug use peaked in late 1970s and early 1980s, then began a decade
long decline until mid 1990s after that it has been stable or in decline
4. Decline in alcohol and cigarettes
B. The pride survey
1. Small to moderate reductions in drug activity over the previous school
year, with larger decreases over last 10 years
C. The national survey on drug use and health
1. Although ages of 12-17 has shown declines in drug use, it is still a
problem
D. Are surveys results accurate
1. Must be interpreted with caution
2. Heavy users may be absent from school during testing periods and/or
forgetful and give inaccurate accounts of their substance abuse
3. Likelihood that most drug dependent portion of adolescents is omitted
from sample (have dropped out or arrested)
4. Accuracy depends on social and personal traits
III. Why do youths take drugs
A. Social disorganization
1. Due to poverty, social disorganization, and hopelessness
2. In minority groups, due to racial prejudice, low self esteem, poor
socioeconomic status, stress of living in harsh environment
3. All leads to high level of mistrust and defiance in lower socioeconomic
areas
B. Peer pressure
1. Drug use correlated with behavior of best friends, especially when
parental supervision is weak
2. Join peers to learn techniques of drug use, gives them social support
3. Drugs users seek others like them and getting involved with drug user
peers leads to own drug use.
C. Family factors
1. Poor family life leads to drug use, unhappy childhood (harsh punishment
or neglect)
2. Racial and gender differences
a) Females and whites who were abused more likely to have drug
and alcohol arrests whereas it is not the case for males and
African Americans
3. In larger families or where there is divorce, separation, or absent
4. Prenatal exposure
5. Observational of parental drug use
6. Low parental attachment, rejection, parental conflict over childbearing
practices
D. Genetic factors
