Illicit Drugs and Crime Flashcards
What is a drug?
Any chemical agent that alters the biochemical or physiological processes of tissues or organisms
What are illegal drugs?
A drug with no legal usage that is prohibited under all circumstances
What are licit/illicit drugs?
May refer to either legal or illegal drugs depending upon usage.
Why do people use illicit drugs?
Addiction
Pain management
Deal with anxiety or other mental health issues
Escape personal circumstances
Peer pressure
Body building
Rebel/annoy parents
Assist work/study
Transgression
Imitation of role models
Experimentation
Social bonding
Act ‘grown up’
Psychological exploration
Spiritual purposes
Recreation/fun
Curiosity
What is the normalised statistic of drug use?
Between 25-30% of young people aged 20-29
What is the spread of drug use?
Spread remarkably evenly across social class, education, and employment, although different drugs were used according to affordability
What are the most popular illicit drugs?
Cannabis
Painkillers
Ecstasy
Cocaine
Meth/amphetamine
Tranquilisers/sleeping pills
Hallucinogens
Heroin
What is problematic drug use?
Stereotypical drug use; regularly portrayed in media; characterised by excessive, harmful consumption, addiction, and criminal behaviour
What is non-problematic drug use?
Functional drug use; recreational and non-dependant; not associated with increased criminality or negative life impact
What was the intent behind the UK study on the misuse of drugs?
To create an objective scale for measuring harms associated with illicit drugs
What were the measurements in the UK drugs study?
Measured both harms to individual users and harms to others
What are the different harms to drug users?
Specific mortality – e.g. fatal overdose
Related mortality – e.g. HIV/AIDS
Specific harms – e.g. liver cirrhosis
Related harms – e.g. non-fatal accidents
Dependence – likelihood of addiction
Specific mental impairment – e.g. psychosis
Related mental impairment – e.g. long-term memory loss
Loss of tangibles – e.g. job, house, etc.
Loss of relationships – e.g. spouse, friendships, etc.
What are the harms to others in terms of drug use?
Injury – e.g. car accidents
Crime, including:
Acquisitive – e.g. mugging, burglary
Impaired judgment – e.g. vandalism, assault
Economic costs – e.g. sick days, lost productivity
Impact on family life – e.g. relationships damaged
International damage – e.g. deaths in drug production zones
Environmental damage – e.g. toxic by-products, syringe litter
Decline in community reputation – e.g. stigmatisation of slum areas
What do the findings of the UK drugs study indicate?
Some legal drugs, particularly alcohol, are significantly more harmful than most illegal drugs
What was the significant mismatch with drugs?
Perceptions of harmfulness and the actual dangers associated with illicit drugs
What would the results of the UK drug study hold?
Serious implications for drug policies
Why is psychopharmacological crime relatively rare?
Most drug crime is not related to effects of consumption but is particularly associated with alcohol and a limited range of illicit drugs
What type of offences are highly newsworthy?
Psychopharmacological offences
Who commits economic compulsive crime?
Drug users who are heavily addicted in order to acquire illicit drugs
What is the most important type of drug crime?
Systemic
What does systemic drug crime refer to?
Offences related to the production and distribution of illicit drugs
What is systemic drug crime related to?
Very serious and violent offences
What are the outcomes of inefficiency in drug distribution networks?
Price increases
Product adulteration
What do drug dealers need to establish?
Partnerships with organised crime groups for security and distribution
