1,269
5
Essay, 34 pages (9000 words)

Drugs and their usage sociology

Contents

  • 5. 4 – The interactions between construction and bureau.

In this chapter the focal point will analyze the history of drugs and their usage, covering the passage from royalty to drugs being the sphere of the lower categories and creative activity of the pot monster and job drug user. After researching drug usage over clip, we will concentrate on how drugs were used and by whom, during the recession of the 1980s. This is of peculiar involvement as it is the clip of the old recession and although it may non hold lasted every bit long as the current one we face, the effects of it on the lower income percentiles and young person may give us an indicant as to what desolation this recession will go forth in its way. The economic system of drug monetary values will be discussed as the illegal drugs market is after all, a market influenced by the wider economic system, merely as legal markets are.

2. 1 – A brief history of drugs and their use.

The usage of Opium ( Heroin ) can be traced back every bit far as 5000bc, marihuana was foremost used as a medical specialty in China in 2727bc, with first usage of marihuana as an alcohol traced back to 1000bc in India. Around 700-600bc marihuana was used for spiritual intents by the Persians, who referred to it as a ‘ good narcotic ‘ , with many followings of Islam sing it as a replacement to alcohol ingestion which is prohibited under Islam ( Efere, 2005 ) .

By the nineteenth century, Queen Victoria ‘ s doctor recommended the usage of it for medical grounds. By 1950 ‘ s recreational usage of marihuana was quickly distributing from the Jazz Clubs in London outwards. In 1960 the usage of marihuanas significantly increased doing governments to supervise and command its usage more as it was get downing to be viewed as a gateway drug, with possible to take users on to more unsafe drug pickings ( Efere, 2005 ) .

Cocaine, like the bulk of other drugs, were foremost taken by those in the upper category, and was used by the likes of Queen Victoria and Winston Churchill, even being sold in the now celebrated section shop that is Harrods in London until 1916 ( Efere, 2005 ) .

In the nineteenth century, drug usage was viewed as being associated with in-between category adult females and professional work forces, who had the ‘ drug wont ‘ , the duty of which lay entirely with the person, was non with society at big. That peculiar persons fall victim to personal failing did non ask a public response of curtailing entree to drugs such as opium or cocaine and surely did non justify a criminalization of its non-medical use ( Plant et al, 2011 ) .

Dr Norman Kerr, an dependence specializer in 1865, coined the term ‘ narcomania ‘ in mention to the sensed pathological cravings for drugs. He saw drug dependence as a disease, which preyed on and infested the weak in Britain ‘ s lower class and on occasion preyed on more flush persons whose chief intent in life was seeking pleasance ( Daly & A ; Sampson, 2012 ) .

It was non until the ‘ dope monster ‘ as they so termed it, was seen as a species instead than in-between category persons, that the issue of drug usage became to be seen as a constabulary affair, ensuing in the ingestion of peculiar drugs being made illegal, non because of their pharmacological medicine, but because of their association with those societal groups deemed to be ‘ dangerous ‘ ( Plant et al, 2011 ) .

During the 1960 ‘ s, groups such as the Mods and Rockers became a cause for concern amongst wider society. Already keeping a common people Satan position through their presence at presentations and stereotyped behavior such as force and deviancy, they, harmonizing to Cohen, provided seeable reminders of what people should non be, when they were associated with the usage of pep pills, it led to one of the first important terrors sing drug usage amongst young person ( Shiner, 2009 ) .

Like most drugs, they experience periods of popularity followed by periods of distain. By 1970, the popularity of cocaine had re-emerged ( Shiner, 2009 ) and Britain presently stands alongside the likes of South America and the United States as holding the largest per-head cocaine consumers in the universe ( Daly & A ; Sampson, 2012 ) , with many high profile famous persons ensuing in it going a position symbol drug ( Efere, 2005 ) . In 2010, the United Nations took notice of the appreciation the famous person civilization had on UK civilization, observing that famous person civilization was being allowed to gnaw British ‘ traditions ‘ of difficult work and soberness and marked London as the ‘ Cocaine Capital of Europe ‘ ( Daly & A ; Sampson, 2012 ) with British citizens being twice every bit likely to hold used cocaine than other European citizens ( Daly & A ; Sampson, 2012 ) .

The thought of a ‘ drug job ‘ today would look to be a comparatively new phenomenon ( Hanson et al, 2009 ) ; though as we have seen, its roots can be traced back 1000s of old ages.

The drugs have varied in popularity, the users shifted from the upper categories to the lower categories ; it has gone from a position symbol of the rich and powerful to holding a negative association with the lower categories, ensuing in the ‘ problem drug user ‘ ( Efere, 2005 ) . Increases in a peculiar usage of drug have been associated by a important alteration in the types of people involved ( Shiner, 2009 ) . Over clip, drugs have become more and more involved in mainstream society. Government statistics demo 25 % of people presently aged 50-69 and a 3rd of those in their 40s admit to devouring drugs at some point in their lives, though the drug tried is non specified, nor is any information on how insistent this usage may hold been. Over 50 % of those aged 20-39 have used drugs. Sing the differences between those aged 50-69 and 40-49, the leap from a 3rd to over half signifies clearly the alterations in society that have been happening over clip ( Daly & A ; Sampson, 2012 ) . The drugs have non changed significantly ; society nevertheless, has changed beyond acknowledgment ( Efere, 2005 ) .

The most used drug in the UK, is cannabis, followed by cocaine, rapture, velocity, Ketalar and thaumaturgy mushrooms. The cost of all these drugs combined is merely half of the entire spent on drugs here in the UK, with the other 50 % coming from the minority that consume diacetylmorphine and cleft cocaine, due to the extremely habit-forming nature of these drugs and the demand to increase ingestion to derive the same ‘ high ‘ , consumers are more dependent on these and obtaining these becomes the chief intent of their lives ( Daly & A ; Sampson, 2012 ) .

2. 2 – The recession of the 1980 ‘ s and its effects.

The recession of the 80 ‘ s coincided with a ‘ heroin epidemic ‘ ( Buchanan, 2006 ) .

At the start of the 80 ‘ s the figure of known diacetylmorphine users was comparatively little at less than 3000, nevertheless, by 1987, had increased more than three times to around 10, 000 ( Robertson cited in Buchanan, 2006 ) .

The 1980s diacetylmorphine epidemic caused well more worry than the minute diacetylmorphine batch in the 1960 ‘ s, which is attributed to physicians over ordering the drug for medical use. The diacetylmorphine users of the 80 ‘ s were younger, frequently unemployed, still populating in the household place, minimum educational attainments and from a socially deprived country ( Buchanan & A ; Young cited in Buchanan, 2006 ) , the antonym to the sixtiess diacetylmorphine users, who appeared to be more privileged, shacking preponderantly in London and until mid to late 1970 ‘ s holding small association with socio-economic places and really weak links to offense ( Stimson cited in Seddon, 2006 ) . The 1980 ‘ s epidemic resulted in a societal perceptual experience displacement to see drug users as working category young person life in disadvantaged countries ( Buchanan, 2006 ) , with a important connexion to societal disadvantage ( Seddon, 2006 ) . The vicinities affected by diacetylmorphine saw an addition in acquisitive offense, harlotry, drug dealing and unemployment ( Seddon, 2006 ) – all of which were going jobs before diacetylmorphines arrived thanks to the deindustrialisation of these countries, speed uping their diminution farther.

The displacement in societal perceptual experience of drug users besides triggered a displacement in how society treats them. They were now seen to be a cause for concern across the board. The ‘ us ‘ and ‘ them ‘ divisions began with a authorities run branding drugs as lethal, insurgent and foreign throughout the ‘ heroin prison guards you up ‘ run ( McGregor cited in Buchanan, 2006 ) .

This division of ‘ us ‘ and ‘ them ‘ was further highlighted by the constabulary response to ‘ tackle the drug job ‘ and ‘ recognise the enemy ‘ ( Maning cited in Buchanan, 2006 ) which has the power to rupture apart household and community ties ensuing in the prostration of subdivisions of society ( Flint cited in Buchanan, 2006 ) – the linguistic communication used in these runs and responses were affectional and were to function the separation of drug users and society – the constabulary were needed to ‘ protect ‘ the ‘ vulnerable ‘ from this epidemic and its environing properties such as an addition in offense due to users stealing to sell in order to fund their dependence ( Buchanan, 2006 ) .

It is said that these steps did nil to cut down the ‘ epidemic ‘ and caused it to travel deeper into the condemnable underworld, increasing the degrees of and engagement in condemnable activity by users and Sellerss, showing higher hazards to both community and drug users than the usage of diacetylmorphine was making to get down with ( Wilkinson cited in Buchanan, 2006 ) .

As the addition in drug-related offenses occurred, so did the drug-problem itself – which was strongly correlated to the increasing want being faced, bespeaking a possible nexus between the three issues ( Seddon, 2006 ) .

Theorists such as Hirschi ( 1990 ) disregard any association between drug usage and criminalism, saying alternatively that they are separate issues sharing some common causes ( Hirschi cited in Warr, 2002 ) such as low self-denial ; puting the burden on the person instead than society ( Warr, 2002 ) .

There is a fast emerging demand to appreciate merely how civilization mediates and shapes structural forces assisting to determine single and corporate action ( Hayward and Young cited in ; Seddon, 2006 ) The equal, single but linked impressions of construction, civilization and bureau potentially offer the key to understanding society.

This can be linked to Jock Young ( 2003 ) and his version of Merton ‘ s anomy theory, whereby the focal point is on the impression of alienated disjuncture between cultural inclusion and structural exclusion.

Since the addition in drug-related, the attack to undertake the drug issue has been focused on cut downing the supply of drugs and increasing hindrance steps, with minimum focal point on the concluding behind drug usage and the persons ( HMSO cited in Buchanan, 2006 ) , even though in 1985, the Social Services Committee, acknowledged the jobs associated with unemployment and subsequent want and commented that drug services were excessively focused on the scientific and medical facets, and more probe into the societal dimension was required ( Buchanan, 2006 ) .

Much can be said both for and against the clip Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister, when it comes to researching the relationship between drugs and economic system nevertheless, it is well more negative than I am certain she and her protagonists would wish.

Under Thatcher ‘ s regulation, the UK experienced some of the biggest alterations of the clip, most notably, deindustrialisation. It left in its aftermath a lost community with no replacing for the nothingness, go forthing many of the working category countries that the industry had been based in, with unprecedented degrees of unemployment, with metropoliss such as Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow going ‘ poster metropoliss ‘ for the immense diminution. In these metropoliss in peculiar, Pearson ( 1987 ) found unemployment rates at 40 % and above in some communities ( Pearson cited in Buchanan 2006 ) with those with degrees between 45 % -66 % as holding a considerable diacetylmorphine job ( Pearson cited in Buchanan, 2006 ) . Research by Buchanan and Wyke ( 1987 ) in Sefton, Liverpool, one of the more badly affected communities, identified that diacetylmorphine was being used as an effort to make full a nothingness in their individuality where legitimate employment should be ( Buchanan & A ; Wyke cited in Buchanan, 2006 ) . Follow up research in Bootle, Sefton, by Buchanan and Young ( 1995 ) highlighted how diacetylmorphine, to those who had become excluded from the neglecting labor market, had become a valid option, with limited chances in the country impeding any desire to travel off from drugs ( Buchanan & A ; Young cited in Buchanan, 2006 ) . Since the 1980 ‘ s, the most terrible of drug issues have been a load placed upon the vicinities already enduring greatly from a battalion of socio-economic troubles ( Pearson cited in Seddon, 2006 ) .

Pearson suggested that the effects unemployment and community stagnancy were doing jobs for its young person, who were happening it about impossible to ‘ fashion meaningful individualities ‘ ( Pearson cited in Buchanan 2006 ) . Preble & A ; Casey presented the instance of diacetylmorphine use as a replacement for the extremely structured demanding life that young person should hold progressed into through legitimate work during the young person to adult passage period ( Preble & A ; Casey cited in Buchanan, 2006 ) , the pull of drugs was like a dark cloud ominously dispersed across a ‘ predominantly deprived urban ‘ underclass ‘ of unqualified, unskilled and unemployed immature grownups ‘ ( Parker cited in Buchanan, 2006 ) .

2. 3 – The economic system of drug monetary values.

It is frequently the instance that politicians and the media turn how the drug markets are represented to the wider populace. By making the thought that they are ‘ outsiders ‘ to the community in which they ‘ prey ‘ on, overstating the imagined differences between the ‘ vulnerable purchasers ‘ and ‘ vulture wish Sellerss ‘ they are able to portray the Sellerss as a threat to society which needs eradicating, adding fuel to the ‘ war on drugs ‘ outlook ( May et al, 2005 ) .

In 2001, the HM Treasury issued a imperativeness release sing the issue of new money to ‘ fight ‘ drugs:

“ . . . barely a household is unaffected by the immorality of drugs. . . Drug-related offense blights our communities. It destroys households and immature lives and fuels a broad scope of condemnable activity, including burglary and robbery. . . We wo n’t digest the threat of drugs in our communities – it causes wretchedness and costs lives. . . This new money will enable bureaus to step up their battle against drugs and the offense it breeds. It will acquire drug traders off our childs ‘ dorsums and into prison and assist safeguard our communities ” ( Buchanan, 2004 p4 ) .

This war against drugs can be better identified as a war against drug users ( Buchanan & A ; Young cited in Buchanan, 2004 ) which serves to farther exclude those with drug issues. Drug users who have frequently failed to do the appropriate passages from childhood to maturity are labelled the ‘ enemy within ‘ with the negative associations of such a label adding to their already strained position of ego ( Buchanan, 2004 ) , with Drucker saying that the effects of their criminalization and demonisation has the possible to be more detrimental than the dangers posed by the drugs they take ;

However, in world, the bulk of drug Sellerss are from the local community, selling to people who portion their involvement in the activity in order to fund their ain drug usage, in truth, there is no evil foreigner working the community, merely a drug market created in and by the community as a consequence of wider issues ( May et al, 2005 ) .

The consequences below show that persons preponderantly obtain drugs from those who they have close relationships and are a portion of the same societal circle ( Home Office, 2012 ) non an evil being that quarries on the vulnerable as authorities attacks make out.

hypertext transfer protocol: //www. homeoffice. gov. uk/883680/accessibility2Table 1: Handiness of Drugs Table. ( Beginning: Home Office, 2012 )

Those involved in the drug market, either as users, Sellerss, or both, frequently claim to hold a monopoly over the condemnable activity in the country. With drug users/sellers being a ample group, with shared ends and involvements, the power they exert together as a group, outweighs the power that single or little clip packs have. With control of condemnable activity steadfastly in the custodies of the drug collective, other offense is kept to a lower limit, therefore guaranting minimum constabularies attending, enabling the drug community to go on as normal with lower hazard degrees. In a Joseph Rowntree Study, Byrne Valley community was involved in their probes, with one respondent foregrounding the point of drug users/sellers stating “ the country I live in is controlled by drug traders, they do n’t allow any sh*t go on ” – bespeaking the lone offense is within the drug circles, with the remainder of the community ‘ protected ‘ from other condemnable activities ( May et al, 2005 ) .

Chapter three: Economic Issues.

In this chapter we will research briefly the current economic clime with a peculiar focal point on the UK. The recession will be discussed with mention to how it is impacting the economic system otherwise for assorted age and income groupings, traveling some manner to replying my inquiry of ‘ how is the macro-economy impacting the micro-economy and its subsequent influences on local countries and lives ‘ .

As the economic system contracts, the figure of occupation vacancies reduces, with hours being cut, ensuing in less hours being stretched between a larger sum of people. Following on from this, the issue of life criterions will be examined, looking specifically at how the economic system is impacting single day-to-day lives and the deductions this may hold for the hereafter.

3. 1 – An overview of the current economic clime.

Across Europe, the degrees of young person unemployment are on norm ; twice every bit high as big unemployment rates, with the OECD gauging youth unemployment is twice every bit sensitive to business-cycles as grownup. This coincides with OECD ( 2008 ) findings that youth unemployment rates are more susceptible to alterations in the business-cycle sphere, though the influence the business-cycle has positively decreases with age. ( OECD cited in Bell & A ; Blanchflower, 2010 ) .

2008 – The twelvemonth the UK officially entered recession ( Vaitilingam, 2009 ) for the first clip since 1991. UK GDP dropped in the concluding two quarters of 2008 at such an slope that by late 2009, the recession had lasted for five quarters, doing it on par with and put to catch the length of the 1980 and 1990 recessions ( Audit Commission, 2009 )

The 2008/9 recession caused the UKs gross domestic merchandise to fall 5. 5 % between the 2nd one-fourth of 2008 and the 2nd one-fourth of 2009, the largest one-year bead since records began. Britain was, and still is, in the clasps of a ‘ depression ‘ ( Vaitilingam, 2009 ) with the first three months of recession stretch degrees every bit low as those experienced in the 1930s great depression ( Vaitilingam, 2009 ) . Previous recessions caused a 4. 1 % bead in the last one-fourth of 1980 from the old 12 months, with a bead of 2. 2 % seen in the 2nd one-fourth of 1991 on the old 12 months ( Vaitilingam, 2009 ) .

Business investing has suffered its most terrible bead in 24 old ages, with capital disbursement down besides by 10 % by the 2nd one-fourth of 2009, with investing down 18 % from the old 12 months, the worst figures since records began in 1967 ( Vaitilingam, 2009 ) .

Since 1979, merely before the 1980s recession took clasp, inequality in Britain had been lifting, with merely a minor stoop in the early phases of the current 2008/9 recession which lowered additions for the richest in society ( Dorling, 2012 ) .

There is a blunt difference in how this recession is impacting the top percentile of society and the lower percentiles, peculiarly in the past two old ages, with the one-year wage of those in the service sector such as waitresses, falling by 11 % and salary earned by cleaning staff dropping by 3. 4 % , all the while the net incomes of the FTSE 100 executives basking an pay addition of 49 % , with the mean top 100 company manager now gaining 145 times more than their mean worker ( Dorling, 2012 ) .

Harmonizing to Ramesh ( 2012 ) , if current tendencies continue at the present degree, by 2035 we will be faced with inequality of such a degree it is on par with those last seen in the Victorian Era along with those in employment holding ‘ weaker protectionaˆ¦than in Mexico ‘ ( Ramesh cited in Dorling, 2012 ) .

3. 2 – Variations in unemployment degrees by age group.

Harmonizing to the Office for National Statistics ( ONS ) UK, between 2007 and 2008, there was a steady diminution in the unemployment rates within the UK. However, between 2008 and 2010, there was a important addition in the figure of unemployed individuals looking for work in the UK ( ONS cited in Home Office UK, 2012 ) . This is important as 2008 marked the beginning of the latest recession, non merely within the UK, but globally ( Philpott, 2012 ) . The monolithic impact the recession is holding can be seen when detecting the figure of occupation vacancies in the UK as recorded by the ONS. UK Job vacancies reached an all-time high in March 2008, with 694, 000 vacancies, by June 2009, it had once more set a new record, merely this clip a negative record, June 2009 showed the lowest figure of vacancies at merely 430, 000. At this minute in clip, vacancies have non increased with much relish, non even making half the recorded Numberss of 2008 ( Office for National Statistics, 2012 ) . With merely a little lessening in 2011, by 2012, the unemployment degrees were at a similar high degree as in 2010. This shows, in employment footings, the impact of the ‘ double dip recession ‘ which the UK presently finds itself ( Home Office UK, 2012 ) .

Within the same clip graduated table, 2008-2012, the most important rise in unemployment rates come when sing the information in conformity with age. There was a extremely important addition of 23. 2 % in unemployment of 16-24 twelvemonth olds ( Philpott, 2012 ) , a record high for this group, with one in five working age immature grownups ( 16-24 ) being unemployed, three times as many than older grownups ( Aldridge et al, 2012 ) . During a similar economic diminution in the 1980s, Levitt & A ; Lochner ( 2001 ) found that males, aged 15-19, were more inclined to sell drugs in countries with higher than mean unemployment degrees ( Levitt & A ; Lochner cited in Arkes, 2007 ) , this non merely suggests that drugs are more readily available through people the purchaser is likely to cognize, but besides with so many people selling drugs, the market would go concentrated, therefore worsening drug monetary values, both consequences intending more readily available drugs to a wider market.

The current unstable economic clime can be observed through the figure of people claiming Job Seekers Allowance. Between April 2010 and April 2012, 4. 8million people had claimed JSA ( Aldridge et al, 2012 ) , an amazing figure of people. Even more distressing is that in the first one-fourth of 2012, 42 % of JSA applications were made within 6 months of the claimant ‘ s old claim ( Aldridge et al, 2012 ) .

Not merely is the fiscal facet of being unemployed or underemployed of import, we must besides see the impact it is holding on persons wellbeing, a damaging consequence on well-being could ensue in an increasing figure of people out of work due to unwellnesss such as anxiousness, depression or emphasis which we will analyze in more item further on in this work.

3. 3 – The minimal pay in comparing to the life pay.

Whilst obtaining employment is hard, once it is achieved, the issue of rewards becomes clear.

The current minimal pay in the UK for individuals aged 21 and over bases at ? 6. 19 ( GOV. uk, 2013 ) per hr, whilst the Living Wage is calculated to be at ? 7. 45 per hr, a difference of ? 1. 26 ( Living Wage Foundation, 2011 ) which when looked at in isolation, may non look to be a monolithic difference, but when we calculate how much a individual working the mean figure of hours for a full clip worker defined by authorities as 35 hours per hebdomad ( GOV. uk, 2013 ) , the deficit between existent net incomes and life pay net incomes becomes ? 44. 10, a significant sum per hebdomad.

Strains on fundss, peculiarly for households and immature people, can hold an highly damaging impact on personal lives and wellbeing as we will analyze subsequently on.

3. 4 – Economic Position and Educational Outcomes.

Harmonizing to a study by the Social Justice Policy Group, those who have experienced household dislocation, peculiarly at a younger age, are 50 % more likely to hold jobs with intoxicant, 70 % more likely to go addicted to drugs and 75 % more likely to neglect school ( Social Justice Policy Group, 2007 ) . By elderly 16, those in reception of free school repasts, achieve on mean 1. 7 GCSE classs lower than their more advantaged equals, of class, hapless public presentation at school degree frequently has damaging effects for future employment chances, in this competitory clime, those with the lower classs may confront more trouble obtaining work, with those who do derive work holding lower net incomes over their working life than their equals with higher educational attainments ( Child Poverty Action Group, 2012 ) .

Persons with makings at degree 4 or above earn on norm over 40 % more than those with flat 3 makings, who earn 10 % more than those with flat 1 or 2 makings. Since people from disadvantaged backgrounds frequently suffer with instruction and mainstream establishments, this non merely affects their life style in young person, but is likely to go on throughout their lives, reproducing a defeatist attitude and disadvantaged upbringing on any future kids ( UKPDC, 2012 ) . With the authorities ‘ s aim to cut child poorness to 10 % by 2020 from its current 20 % degrees ( Brewer et Al, 2011 ) attenuation at an dismaying rate ( Browne & A ; Joyce cited in Brewer et Al, 2012 ) , it is improbable the future our current young person is confronting will be any different to that of the following coevals, with issues outlined in this thesis being reproduced ( UKPDC, 2012 ) .

With surveies developed by the likes of Jones et Al ( 2004 ) and Buchanan & A ; Young ( 2000 ) , there is a suggestion of a high correlativity between school experience and future drug experience. Jones et Al ( 2004 ) found that of the drug users interviewed, 54 % had been excluded from school ( Jones et al cited in Buchanan, 2004 ) , with Buchanan & A ; Young ( 2000 ) determination of those drug users interviewed, 52 % had failed to finish statutory instruction and did non keep any academic or vocational makings ( Buchanan & A ; Young cited in Buchanan, 2004 ) . Harmonizing to the Department for Education and Employment, merely 6 % of kids leave school with no makings. With degrees shown by Jones et Al and Buchanan & A ; Young of over 50 % , there is a important over representation of those with no makings within the drug taking community ( Buchanan, 2004 ) .

If many kids are most susceptible to these issues as a consequence of household dislocation, this paints a really distressing image for the young person of today, who, in this economic clime will besides be fighting to happen their manner, any farther troubles placed upon them will certainly worsen the hurt and put the odds of doing a successful passage into maturity steadfastly against them.

Gilman ( 1998 ) established a list of 10 important indexs of future possible dependence and societal exclusion. These were:

Mental Health Issues.

Initiation into offense.

Non-school attending.

Unemployment being the norm.

Bing in local authorization attention.

Homelessness – both kiping rough and/or non holding a topographic point to name place.

Heavy usage of legal drugs in early life.

Criminally active parent with a history of drug mis-use.

Break of household unit.

Use of illegal diversion drugs ( Gilman cited in South et al, 1999 ) .

A big proportion of these indexs have been discussed already, with worrying statistical grounds presented aboard foregrounding likeliness of school ejection, parental separation, induction into offense as a consequence of non-school attending and happening alternate activities etc.

The undermentioned chapter will look at these ‘ alternative activities ‘ and analyze how the consumption of these activities have changed over clip, looking at findings before, during and after recessions and the current rates.

Chapter four: Drug Use.

Here we will look at how drug usage is altering for the young person of today in comparing to past coevalss. We will analyze drug usage tendencies and their fluctuations from 1960 to the present twenty-four hours. Finally, we will compare the changing nature of drug usage for young person, aged 16-24 and the population as a whole, aged 16-59 and try to explicate why there may be important fluctuations in drug usage degrees between the groupings.

4. 1 – Young person and drug usage.

Since the 1960 ‘ s, there has been a continued steady rise in the prevalence of youth drug taking with a important spike in the mid 1990 ‘ s, ensuing in an all-time high degree of drug usage among immature people in Britain. Since 2000, there has been a slow but noticeable diminution, although degrees still remain high, by 2007, around one in four striplings had taken/used an illegal drug in the past 12 months ( Aldridge, 2008 ) .

Harmonizing to Roberts ( 2003 ) , more immature people are utilizing drugs now than of all time before, with drug usage now being widely seen as a ‘ young individual ‘ s thing ‘ ( Roberts cited in Case & A ; Haines, 2008 ) .

The new millenary brought with it a new focal point for the authorities and associated media. The sounds of youth drug usage have been lowered, with intoxicant usage and the ‘ binge imbibing ‘ epidemic shriek to the head ( Hayward & A ; Hobbs cited in Aldridge, 2008 ) . Although the authorities ‘ s intensive, punitory attack to drug usage still lingers, the hunt for causes and preventive steps remains neglected ( Case & A ; Haines, 2008 ) .

Newcombe ( 1995 ) carried out extended research in relation to youth and drug usage, happening that, among immature grownups aged 16-24, the figure of those describing illegal drug usage in their life-times steadily increased from less than 5 % in the 1960 ‘ s, to about 10 % in the 1970 ‘ s, increasing farther to 15-20 % in the 1980 ‘ s. The degrees of those holding used illicit drugs in their life-time about duplicating decennary on decennary ( Newcombe cited in Aldridge, 2008 ) .

The proportion of immature people utilizing drugs is increasing. The consequences below show the differences between drug usage in 2008/09, pre-recession and drug usage in 2009/10, post-recession. Opiate usage in peculiar has risen well ( Hoare & A ; Mood, 2010 ) , a worrying determination since as antecedently discussed, Dai ( 1970 ) , found that users of opiates were more prevailing in countries of hapless societal standing, with hapless lodging, a transeunt population with a big proportion of broken households and those of low socio-economic position ( Dai cited in Allen, 2007 ) .

Table 2: Drug Use Trends Among 16-24 Year Olds. ( Beginning: Hoare & A ; Mood 2010 )

The findings for those aged 16-59, show no addition in drug usage and a lessening in a big proportion of drugs used. This farther high spots how immature people may be more susceptible to taking drugs as a consequence of their socio-economic place and experience the influences of the macroeconomic diminutions and societal alterations more than those older than them, who may be more stable in their socio-economic places, keeping a strong sense of ego helping them to remain strong in the face of hardship.

Table 3: Drug Use Trends Among 16-59 Year Olds. ( Beginning: Hoare & A ; Mood, 2010 )

As a consequence of altering forms for drug usage, academic attacks to research demands to alter aboard. Research which was antecedently approached with the position that young person drug usage was an single issue, has been turned towards sing drug usage in its wider situational context. Drug usage is now seen as one portion of a wider construction which encompasses, depends on, and molds cultural, historical, economic and political constituents ( Duff cited in Foster & A ; Spencer, 2013 ) .

Here we have seen how drug usage degrees are altering and how faculty members are taking notice, ensuing drug usage being seen as a mark of a wider societal issue. The undermentioned chapter will look at the wider societal issues from a theoretical position and effort to derive an penetration into why drug usage may be looking to be the most feasible option. This will lend to replying how the recession is impacting passages into maturity and the effects of this.

Chapter five: Theoretical Positions.

This chapter will research the theoretical positions and ideological attacks which attempt to explicate how a faltering economic system can impact young person and in turn the Numberss who may be susceptible to drug usage as a agency to get by or derive societal position. If more people are turning to drug usage for these grounds, it goes some manner to explicating why substance abuse amongst immature people may increase more aggressively in times of recession.

5. 1 – Passages from childhood to maturity.

Merely how age can impact the experiences of persons in society is of importance when looking at the actions of a peculiar age group.

Previously, age was seen as a natural patterned advance which each person had to go through through, nevertheless, as clip has gone by, the differences in how age is experienced by different groupings and affects their individuality and future mobility has gained attending. The clip in which people experience state of affairss affect their response. The historical differences, even between coevalss, can cultivate a different experience due to exposure to different issues and dominant societal ideals ( Bradley, 1996 ) .

The effects of age are non consistent nor are they equal to everyone in a given societal clip. The experiences of age can, like other inequalities, be affected greatly by other places an single occupies, for case, race, category and gender ( Bradley, 1996 ) .

Parsons ( 1954 ) was a cardinal age stratification theoretician who focused peculiarly on the teenage civilization which in his eyes, was a major period of passage from childhood to adulthood whereby of import positive maps such as parties, dating and featuring success, helped ease the passage from childhood security in the household family to full grownup position with matrimony and occupational chances ( Parsons cited in Bradley, 1996 ) .

Today, this is more hard to accomplish, particularly for the lower categories, who have higher rates of hapless educational accomplishment and the associated issues, therefore doing the passage to adulthood out of range, protracting the submergence in the teenage civilization which as persons age, becomes more detached from the norms of society, therefore doing the person farther excluded and disadvantaged ( Bradley, 1996 ) . As Pearsons ( 1987 ) would state, it is going progressively hard for the on the job category young person to manner meaningful individualities ( Pearsons cited in Buchanan, 2006 ) .

Youth, as a cohort, are frequently viewed as being rebellious, aberrant and troublesome ( Bradley, 1996 ) , nevertheless, the bulk of young person are conformist, sharing their parents values and political orientations, which, although sounding positive, can hold negative deductions such as, if the parents have felt a negative consequence from the economic downswing and are fighting, or have resigned themselves to a life of benefits, so, it is extremely likely that their kids will follow that point of position besides, restricting their aspirations and positions of what they can accomplish in society ( Bradley, 1996 ) .

Albert Cohen, in his work entitled ‘ Delinquent Boys ‘ highlighted the issue of school being a in-between category establishment, with wagess for in-between category criterions. As in-between category young persons have an advantage here, lower category young persons are destined to be placed well lower down in the position hierarchy than their fellow schoolmates. This leads to feelings of defeat, isolation and insecurity for the lower category young persons, who find alternate ways to derive position, such as delinquency, doing this a byproduct of the unequal hierarchy entree within the school environment. Those who are denied entree to legalize chances to derive higher position places simply because of their socialization circles, are ‘ provoked ‘ to prosecute in delinquent behavior to accomplish the degree of legitimate position denied to them in the school environment, or to advertise their defeat at non being given entree to the in-between category value construction and farther push themselves off from it ( Elliot, 1966 ) .

Cohen ‘ s work links to Ohlin ‘ s work on the chance construction, whereby the civilization in which the immature on the job category are state of affairs makes seeking of success ends a demand but distributes the legitimate tools to obtaining success otherwise. The differing entree handiness between the lower and in-between categories causes much tenseness between the two, taking to take down category young persons organizing aberrant subcultures in order to carry through the end of economic promotion. The aberrant subculture produces an environment that legitimises delinquency which a big proportion of those who blame the system instead than themselves for their failure belong to ( Bordua, 1961 ) .

The type of aberrant subculture formed is to a great extent influenced by the environing local community. Those emerging from a stable vicinity, with a repetitive, steady happening of condemnable activity present consequences in the formation of the condemnable subculture. When a vicinity is peculiarly helter-skelter, unstable and holds no regular, steady condemnable activity and the associated ‘ role theoretical accounts ‘ , the struggle subculture develops. The subculture which this work is most interested in is the Retreatist subculture, besides known as the drug usage subculture, which occurs when persons are perceived by themselves and others as dual failures, unable to take part in the struggle or condemnable subcultures, either through pick or restricted agencies ( Bordua, 1961 ) . Susanne McGregor ( 2001 ) explains that the ‘ impact of deindustrialisation and the rise of the consumer market societyaˆ¦has created a category of also-rans and discarded young person who continue to supply new recruits to the ranks of debatable drug misusers ‘ ( McGregor cited in Buchanan, 2006 ) .

5. 2 – The Ecological Perspective.

Drug usage research had been dominated by single accounts, with minimum respects for the ecological facets.

Dai ( 1970 ) as antecedently mentioned, was one of the first to analyze the ecological influences on drug usage. Dai used his findings to reason that aberrance was a consequence of a combination of variables associated with urban vicinities, with opiate usage being used as a response to this or an effort to accommodate to the environment ( Dai cited in Allen, 2007 ) , as substance usage is frequently used as a tool to relieve emphasis and header with negativeness associated with many life happenings more common to the lower socio-economic communities ( Allen, 2007 ) .

Dai ‘ s ( 1970 ) survey can be viewed in association with the economic crisis of today, it is possible that similar findings would be found today ( Dai cited in Allen, 2007 ) .

MacDonald and Marsh ( 2001 ) propose that it is the experience of economic marginalization itself that consequences in the engagement of condemnable and drug callings ( MacDonald & A ; Marsh cited in Allen, 2007 ) . Engagement in offense and drug usage is non a societal merchandise of structural procedures, nor is an inter-generational transmittal of a civilization of deviancy, in fact it is a reverberation of the detachment from the limited ‘ school to work ‘ chances, particularly when illegal chances appear to show themselves as easy and accessible ( Allen, 2007 ) .

Following this, Foster ( 2000 ) conducted a survey around the effects of life in economically marginalised urban countries, look intoing why offense and drug usage were more prevailing. She concluded that offense and drug usage along with disadvantaged vicinities were ‘ mutually prolonging ‘ , as the long term societal exclusion experienced in these communities reflected in their lives, taking them to depict their being as ‘ deadening ‘ with a strong sense of hopelessness which Foster ( 2000 ) referred to as an ‘ escalating rhythm of despondence ‘ , ( Foster cited in Allen, 2007 ) whereby drugs are used to make full a nothingness and making a intent in their lives to make full the huge sum of empty clip they face in a failing countries. This activity became everyday, similar to that of traveling to work, the modus operandi of obtaining and utilizing drugs can turn into a signifier of economic work for these persons as drugs can offer a signifier of illicit economic chances ( Storr et al cited in Allen, 2007 ) , taking to farther vicinity diminution. Like Wilson ‘ s ( 1982 ) ‘ broken windows theory ‘ ( Samaha, 2006 ) whereby a visibly run down vicinity deteriorates even further, societal control appears to deteriorate besides as it appears that no 1 cares about the vicinity nor is in control of it, leting more offense to emerge, as opposed to a more stable vicinity, with less want, which address issues such as broken Windowss and graffiti more quickly as they category the vicinity as their place, each keeping a certain grade of pride in where they live, keeping control of their vicinity ( Ritzer & A ; Ryan, 2011 ) . Richardson and Mumford ( 2002 ) besides argue that the ‘ economic and societal well-being of a vicinity is likely to impact the occupants capacity to take corporate duty for their vicinity and to protect it from offense and its associated upset ‘ ( Richardson & A ; Mumford cited in May et Al, 2005: 27 ) . A respondent to a study conducted by the Joseph Rowntree Drug and Alcohol Research Centre is quoted as stating of her community ; ‘ Drugs do [ the ] decay of the country, with the offense, harlotry and street robbery. The possible to perpetrate offense additions. [ It has ] stigmatised the country ‘ ( May et al, 2005 ; 27 )

This is echoed by Storr et Al ( 2004: 254-5 ) :

“ An array of community and vicinity conditions is associated with higher degrees of drug usage. Some of these conditions are shaped by economic conditions ( poorness, want, unemployment, type of lodging, and lodging stableness ) aˆ¦disadvantaged communities with seeable drug jobs may [ so ] autumn quarry to a condemnable drug market that offers economic advantages to otherwise resource-poor vicinity occupants ” ( Storr et al cited in Allen, 2007 ; 39 ) .

Other respondents thought that the drug market increased the prevalence of offense in their community and were concerned about the negative impact it was holding on the socio-economic standing of the country.

The ecological attack has nevertheless received some unfavorable judgment, from Heidensohn ( 1989 ) for the thought that offense and illegal substance usage occurs because of the disadvantaged urban countries in which many users are located, giving the feeling that they are inactive victims in this phenomenon ( Heidensohn cited in Allen, 2007 ) . Shaw and McKay ( 1972 ) offer an opposing theory of drug usage in hapless urban countries. They argue the values and traditions which characterise a community may be more of import in explicating differences between urban countries ( Shaw & A ; McKay cited in Allen, 2007 ) saying that accounts of delinquency have their ‘ roots in the dynamic life of the community ‘ ( Shaw & A ; McKay cited in Allen, 2007: 40 ) . They propose that those turning up and life in in-between category countries are protected from contact and effects of aberrant behaviors and are surrounded by the positive effects of neighbourhood traditions and values ( Allen, 2007 ) .

5. 3 – The symbolic interactionist position.

Symbolic interactionists reject societal determinism and organize a position based upon how persons understand their immediate location in society, as this influences their responses to said society, which their individuality is structured around through feedback from the environing environment ( Allen, 2007 ) . The attack presented by Bourdieu is instead similar to the symbolic interactionist attack with one key difference ; Bourdieu includes relationships with societal construction and macro-sociological issues by exposing the interrelatednesss and degrees of importance between systems and histrions ( Lunnay et al, 2011 ) . The attitudes and behaviours the agent exhibits are learnt and socialized via their reading of the external societal environment ( Lunnay et al, 2011 ) .

Within this position, we can see from Mead ( 1930 ) that persons create a perceptual experience of themselves based upon how they believe that others perceive them, making jobs in low income countries ( Mead cited in Allen, 2007 ) . With a dead economic system, the want degrees will increase, making more ocular indexs of want which persons may internalize based upon how society is structured via the media with newspapers portraying those from certain countries as ‘ scroungers ‘ and efficaciously foregrounding the development of a huge, ‘ dangerous ‘ , ‘ underclass ‘ . These perceptual experiences, nevertheless true they may be to the outside universe, or the ‘ generalised other ‘ , can determine how ego is created and who/what it becomes ( Allen, 2007 ) , alter procedures of reading and influence societal practise through outlooks of others reactions ( Allen, 2007 ) . Although creative activity of the ego is moulded over clip through these interactions, one time they are formed, they are inactive and responses will go on to be made through the position created via old interactions, moving via wont instead than witting determinations, which consequences in Moyer ( 2001 ) mentioning to these persons as victims of their societal environment and the self-image created through it, ensuing in a decrease of ‘ free-will ‘ ( Moyer cited in Allen, 2007 ; 41 ) .

Dunlop et Al ( 2002 ) follow this position in relation to their survey of ‘ intergenerational transmittal of behavior norms for drugs [ aˆ¦ ] ‘ . He compares interior metropolis life to populating in a entire establishment, by which he means that they are isolated from the universe outside of what they live in, excluded from society which exists beyond the interior metropolis and its associated restrictions, the lone experience they receive in the outside universe is, as Dunlop put it, ‘ humiliating, ‘ illustration of which being ‘ seeking employment without success due to their reference ‘ , leting farther disaffection from mainstream society, cultivating the alternate societal and cultural norms which arise in disadvantaged communities without any resistance ( Dunlop et al cited in Allen, 2007 ) .

A quotation mark by Dunlop et Al ( 2002 ) summarises this in merely one sentence ;

“ In many respects the totalitarian refuge of the interior metropolis and their badly distressed families have been insulated from the outside universe and conventional signifiers of behavior. Alternatively the behavior normsaˆ¦permeate each coevals ‘ s experience ” ( Dunlop et al cited in Allen, 2007 ; 42 ) .

Those populating in countries similar to this and who take drugs have adopted these conditions as portion of their individuality and created a sense of ego around these issues. Their activities become wont, which is normalised in the vicinity scene, since there is limited integrating with communities outside of their ain, their actions have n’t been challenged hence an experiential crisis, demanding a response to the state of affairs which would probably be the trigger to interrupt the accustomed actions is non presented.

5. 4 – The interactions between construction and bureau.

The interplay between construction and bureau is an country of much argument within sociology ; its significance in relation to drug usage and societal construction is no different, being an country of great controversy amongst societal theoreticians ( Seddon, 2006 ) .

Within the argument are two cardinal theoreticians with similar proposals ; Giddens ( 1984 ) and Bourdieu.

Giddens proposes that the original structure-agency dualism is misappropriated, saying it is in fact, two sides of the same coin, explicating this as the ‘ duality of construction ‘ adding that construction does non be in isolation from action ( Giddens cited in Seddon, 2006 ) .

Bourdieu presents a ‘ theory of pattern ‘ , sharing the rejection of dualism ( Bourdieu cited in Seddon, 2006 ) , with accent placed on the interaction between the two instead than one keeping more control ( Lunnay et al, 2011 ) . Bourdieu besides incorporates impressions of habitus and field to better explicate how single agents move within their surrounding circles ( Bourdieu cited in Seddon, 2006 ) . Society, is a assortment of ‘ fields ‘ of societal production, which can be identified as a societal infinite in which agents are situated in peculiar functions and relationships, with given resources termed ‘ capital ‘ ( Lunnay et al, 2011 ) . The places held within the societal topographic point, or the construction of the field, determines actions for control of capital ( Lunnay et al, 2011 ) .

However, Archer ( 1988 ) states that the original dualism is critical in analytical footings, with any conflation of construction and bureau as being extremely mistaken and unhelpful ( Archer cited in Seddon, 2006 ) .

I personally agree with Bourdieu ‘ s theory of practise and experience this is the most helpful theory to near the issue and apprehension of drug usage in a changing society.

To understand how involvements reflect or develop as beginnings of capital he suggests placing single behaviors through the lens of their values, so placing how single involvements relate to the involvements of those in their encompassing societal domain and to the schemes of accretion of capital held by people in the group ( Lunnay et al, 2011 ) .

Persons nevertheless, are non cognizant of the battalion of factors which can hold an impact on their behavior, nor the inexplicit logic in forepart of which behavior bases ( Lunnay et al, 2011 ) . Following Bourdieu ‘ s attack around the impression of symbolic capital and differentiation, drug usage can be seen as a symbolic, powerful activity in which young person can take part in to act upon their place in societal hierarchies with the possibility of changing the societal agreement via inclusionary and exclusionary differentiations developed harmonizing to what is valued by the given societal grouping at the clip ( Lunnay et al, 2011 ) .

Competition for the desired societal position exists on two degrees ; one being the macro societal whereby societal power is dependent on location and repute, and two being, the micro degree, whereby the power struggles occur within the location societal groups ( Lunnay et al, 2011 ) . Changing societal position place is non a consequence of opportunity, but terrible competition, which is set on an uneven game board where chances for the accretion of capital are non equal ( Lunnay et al, 2011 ) .

Youth realise that they are in a place inside a broad societal construction or equal group, which, in some, dependent upon the clip and location of the grouping, exists an built-in societal credence of drug usage as a valued societal activity, which itself is a beginning of symbolic capital ( Lunnay et al, 2011 ) . Drug pickings is portion of and reflects users ‘ habitus, i. e. their gustatory sensations and temperaments. The habitus is the users socially constructed position of the universe, which ‘ reflects the emobodiment within persons of systems of societal norms, understanding forms of behaviouraˆ¦ensuring that persons are more fain to move in some manner than others ( Bourdieu, 1997 ; 3 ) ‘ ( Lunnay et al, 2011 ; 5 ) . The external constructions are internalised into the habitus whilst the actions of the single agent externalise interactions between histrions into the societal relationships in the societal field. Drug users, will internalize external constructions, i. e. drug taking norms of their milieus, and reproduce them by projecting internal constructions within the confines of a societal infinite ( Lunnay et al, 2011 ) .

This chapter has applied theory to the scrutiny of how the economic system may impact youth drug usage. By looking at how young person are moulded by their milieus, we can see how the fluctuating degrees of poorness may impact youth drug usage.

Thank's for Your Vote!
Drugs and their usage sociology. Page 1
Drugs and their usage sociology. Page 2
Drugs and their usage sociology. Page 3
Drugs and their usage sociology. Page 4
Drugs and their usage sociology. Page 5
Drugs and their usage sociology. Page 6
Drugs and their usage sociology. Page 7
Drugs and their usage sociology. Page 8
Drugs and their usage sociology. Page 9

This work, titled "Drugs and their usage sociology" was written and willingly shared by a fellow student. This sample can be utilized as a research and reference resource to aid in the writing of your own work. Any use of the work that does not include an appropriate citation is banned.

If you are the owner of this work and don’t want it to be published on AssignBuster, request its removal.

Request Removal
Cite this Essay

References

AssignBuster. (2022) 'Drugs and their usage sociology'. 1 August.

Reference

AssignBuster. (2022, August 1). Drugs and their usage sociology. Retrieved from https://assignbuster.com/drugs-and-their-usage-sociology/

References

AssignBuster. 2022. "Drugs and their usage sociology." August 1, 2022. https://assignbuster.com/drugs-and-their-usage-sociology/.

1. AssignBuster. "Drugs and their usage sociology." August 1, 2022. https://assignbuster.com/drugs-and-their-usage-sociology/.


Bibliography


AssignBuster. "Drugs and their usage sociology." August 1, 2022. https://assignbuster.com/drugs-and-their-usage-sociology/.

Work Cited

"Drugs and their usage sociology." AssignBuster, 1 Aug. 2022, assignbuster.com/drugs-and-their-usage-sociology/.

Get in Touch

Please, let us know if you have any ideas on improving Drugs and their usage sociology, or our service. We will be happy to hear what you think: [email protected]