Substance Abuse (INC)

Question 1

Social Side Effects of substance abuse

Answer 1

homeless junkies, drunken indians, the war on drugs, addiction (moral or medical)

Question 2

homeless junkies

Answer 2

a social side effect of substance abuse
People who become addicted to and dependent on drugs risk losing everything.
They lose their jobs, their possessions, their homes, and even their families and friends.
They may end up on the streets or turn to a life of crime to support their habits.
Some cities have whole neighbourhoods that are inhabited by chronic drug users, and some of these neighbourhoods have support services to help manage problems associated with addiction such as safe injection sites and detoxification centres

Question 3

drunken indians

Answer 3

In many circles, the stereotype of the ‘drunken Indian’ was once all-powerful. It was assumed by some that if you were of aboriginal ancestry, whether you were Métis, Inuit, non-status or First Nation, then you had a drinking problem.

Employers felt justified in refusing employment to aboriginal people based on this stereotype. Landlords would not rent to aboriginal people. Some establishments, bars mostly, refused to let aboriginal people enter. Taxi drivers drove past aboriginal people on the street. The daily humiliations added up to real social and economic barriers

Question 4

the war on drugs

Answer 4

Some politicians and segments of the public believe that the only way to combat drug addiction and drug related crime is to increase the severity of penalties for the sale and possession of illegal drugs.
The down side to this approach is that it has lead to increased organized crime activity and violence, which in turn creates a need for even more law enforcement.
The war on drugs is expensive, and critics say that the war is being lost due to the increased gang activity and violence associated with the production and sale of illegal drugs

Question 5

Addiction: A Moral or Medical Problem?

Answer 5

In examining the problem of substance abuse and addiction, some critics of current policies argue that treatment is a better way of dealing with the problem than incarceration.
By viewing addiction as being a medical problem, more emphasis can be placed on rehabilitation and reintegration.
Treating drug addiction as a form of criminal behaviour places blame on the victim, as though the drug addict has made a deliberate choice to harm himself and harm others