Lecture 6 : Drug Theories Flashcards
What are the two policy frameworks mentioned in the context of drug policy?
Criminal Justice
And
Public Health
What is the CJ framework
Drug use is constructed as …
Drug use is constructed as illegal and deviant
What is the Public Health framework
Drug use is constructed as ..
Drug use is constructed as unhealthy
What are the three models of drug regulation?
Holloway (1995 cited in Barton 2011)
Consumer sovereignty (pre-history) - Unrestricted access to substances.
Occupational control (middle ages) - Control of the access, sale, and use of substances by trades or professional groups.
Bureaucratic legislation (today) - Control over the access, sale, and use of substances by local or central state authorities.
What is a drug, according to the pre-history context?
A drug is a substance that, unlike food, has the ability to significantly change the body’s organic functions or mood.
How did our pre-historic ancestors use plants that could be considered drugs?
They consumed plants in a way that their usage could be considered as drug-taking
What were the 3 main purposes for using drugs in pre-history?
Medicinal purposes
Religious/spiritual purposes
Recreational purposes
How were drugs and witchcraft linked in the Middle Ages?
The Blame of drugs by Christians was linked to the condemnation of magic by witches.
How did the role of Free trade grew and pharmacists change in the drug trade during the Middle Ages to 1800s?
Free trade grew and pharmacists gained control over the supply of drugs
How did the economic status of drugs change by the 1800s?
Drugs became a lucrative commodity
What period is known for the resurgence of consumer sovereignty?
Between 1800 to 1850 there was a resurgence of consumer sovereignty.
What are the 2 main reasons for the resurgence of consumer sovereignty between 1800 and 1850?
The medical profession was in its infancy
The ‘opium wars’ between Britain and China
What time period was crucial for the change in attitude towards substances due to occupational control and moral condemnation?
Between 1850-1900.
Which two groups became important in changing attitudes towards substances between 1850 and 1900?
- The medical and pharmaceutical professions.
- Religion-inspired moral philanthropists.
What factors were cited as reasons for the shift in attitudes towards substances between 1850 and 1900?
Gender, social class, and racial biases were implicated.
What model was the Quakers associated with?
Moral Model
What was the shift in blame concerning substance use during 1850-1900?
The shift was from blaming the drug to blaming the immoral choices of the individual.
What are the historical associations of the Moral Model?
Historically bound up with religious ideas about sin (i.e. what is right and wrong)
How is drug use perceived in the Moral Model?
In the Moral Model, drug use is viewed as immoral, irresponsible, and reckless, considered a ‘disease of the will’.
What is considered the ‘cause’ of drug use and related problems in the Moral Model?
Including crime, is attributed to the ‘badness’ or ‘poor choices’ of the individual. Individuals are seen as selfish, weak, or having poor morals.
What does the 2016 study by Smith and Riach indicate about UK drug policy?
UK drug policy positions drug consumption as the antithesis of economic potential.
What concept is highlighted by Smith and Riach regarding UK drug policy and employment?
The ‘employable citizen’:
Captures the increasing regulation of working identities deemed viable or appropriate
Foregrounds the connections between drug taking and employment
What does the Rolleston Report 1926 recognize as legitimate medical treatments involving the administration of morphine or heroin?
1) Those undergoing treatment for cure of addiction through gradual withdrawal
2) Persons for whom, after every effort has been made, the drug cannot be completely withdrawn.
What is the basic premise of addiction according to the Medical/Disease Model?
Heather and Robertson (1997)
Addiction is seen as a discrete entity, similar to other diseases, where you either have it or you don’t.
What are some examples of substitute prescribing in the context of the Medical/Disease Model?
methadone and cannabis-based products for medical prescribing.
What does the brain-disease model of addiction describe?
reviewed by Hall et al., 2015,
points out that addiction involves dopamine-mediated changes to cortical areas of the brain that persist over time despite long periods of abstinence and genetic factors that contribute to the risk of developing an addiction.
What is a major argued benefit of the Medical/Disease Model as per Heather in 2017?
major benefit of the Medical/Disease Model is that it is that it de-stigmatizes problematic drug use
What was the trend in drug use from 1964 to 1979?
increase in drug use
Younger people using drugs for pleasure
Drugs became linked to youth culture
LSD, amphetamines, cannabis
How does the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 differentiate drug-related offenses?
It distinguished between ‘supply’ and ‘possession’ offenses.
What was the problem with young people in managing drug use between 1964 and 1979?
Young people using drugs for ‘luxurious’ purposes.
What is the Tri-dimensional Personality Theory according to Cloninger (1987)?
Personality is a predisposing factor in addiction
Novelty seeking
Harm avoidance
Reward dependence
What classification system did the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 introduce?
The ABC classification system of drugs.
Which personality trait from Cloninger’s model has evidence supporting its influence on addiction?
Novelty seeking is the trait with evidence supporting its influence on addiction.
What is the key concept of Social Learning Theory according to Bandura (1977)?
that people learn behaviors, such as drug use, through observing and imitating others, influenced by the consequences of these behaviors in social contexts.
How might personal and social situations influence drug use according to Social Learning Theory?
Someone using drugs to cope with personal problems might have a different experience and learn different behaviors compared to someone who uses drugs socially with friends, due to different environmental and social reinforcements.
According to Becker (1963), how do different social groups view behaviors?
Different social groups hold different views regarding ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ behaviors, influencing how they perceive and label others.
How do labeled ‘deviants’ perceive others, according to Becker?
Those labeled as ‘deviant’ may view others as ‘outsiders’ who simply follow different sets of rules.
What are the 3 steps for an individual to use marijuana for pleasure according to Becker (1953)?
Learns to smoke it in a way that will produce real effects
Learns to recognise the effects and connect them with drug use
Learns to enjoy the sensations he perceives
What two ‘experiments’ gave momentum to socio-cultural explanations for behavior, including drug use?
The Vietnam War and Alexander’s ‘rat park’ study
What are the components of the Biopsychosocial Model as it relates to drug use, and what does each component represent?
Drug = the pharmacological/biological effects of the substance
Set = the individual’s mindset (psychology, mental health)
Setting = the social and spatial features of the environment that drug use occurs in
What are social sanctions in the context of substance use?
formal and informal values and rules of conduct associated with substance use including legislation and restrictions
What social rituals in the context of substance use?
informal behavioural patterns associated with substance use (e.g. new users of psychedelics consumed drugs in the company of an experienced users)
