Different aspects of the drug phenomenon
Health problem drug use, HIV/AIDS Social poverty, housing, education, social vulnerability Security public nuisance, drug-related crime, drugs and
driving, public life, quality of life, open drug scenes
Economy narco-economies, pharmaceutical companies International internationalisation demand (drug tourism) –
supply (production, distribution) “Good enemy” easy to blame when something is wrong in society
Drug policy models
0 tolerance policy – drugs are not accepted in society and everything has to be done to fight against it (USA, Sweden)
Harm reduction policy – drugs are not welcome in society but unfortunately they are here and everything has to be done to reduce harm related to drugs (Most of the countries in EU).
Drug Phenomenon From political perspective distinction - demand side and supply
side Demand - explanations for drug use from user perspectives
Youth cultures where drug use is accepted Marginalisation and poverty as an explanation of drug use Related topics - mobility (cf. EU enlargement), drug tourism
Supply – explanations why drugs are available Traffic Production Distribution and / or consumer states Military conflicts ~ terrorist organizations ~ arms traffic and
drug production
The drug policy
Trend: from zero tolerance policy to harm reduction policy (except Sweden)
Demand reduction: highest priority on prevention, relating to health, education, research and training activities + combat social exclusion
Supply reduction: priority to the control of chemical precursors, the prevention and the fight against money laundering, to the effective cooperation between police, customs and judicial authorities
Different perspectives of analysing drug use
Different disciplines Epidemiology - spread of drug use compared to disease
(surveys, statistics) Criminology and criminal law– drug use as illegal act Psychology and psychiatry – drug use explained from
personality perspective (escape from psychological problems)
Philosophy – drug use and addiction as epistemological phenomenon
History - drug use as social phenomenon from historical perspective
Social drug research Sociology and social anthropology from 60-70-s – drug
use as subcultural phenomenon Drug use became widespread social phenomenon (counter
cultures) Different approaches from medical doctors (not only as an
addiction)
Cultural studies from 90-s - use of substances as part of personal choice and individual behaviour; explanation takes into consideration the drug user's standpoint
Certain standpoints according to disciplines tendencies not rules (Zinberg)
Howard Becker Outsiders (1963)
Becoming a marihuana user (1954) based on 50 interviews
First time used the concept of a “recreational drug user” (before that only “abusers”)
Social learning within subculture essential for drug use Learning technic Learning to perceive effects Learning to enjoy effects
Marihuana use and social control
Career of a marihuana user – beginner, occasional user, regular user
Controls Through limiting access to drug Necessity of keeping non-users discovering the
user Definition of act as immoral
Supply - need for special contacts through cannabis-users subculture different level (beginners and occasional users get the drug from others; regular users buy big quantities)
Secrecy – related to level of use and supply (living with parents – occasional users)
Morality – regular users develop group ideology which justifies cannabis use
Ideological supports to becoming and remaining heroin addict (Felding 1968)
Stand-up cat - adventurous macho (I am not getting addicted!)
Pleasure from heroin versus degree of commitment to group (with Stand-up cat ideology)
Change in values – no more macho culture, better to be crafty and smart
New competences - defend themselves; provide resources that insure drug supply
The Drugtakers (Young 1971)Contrasted values. Play
Formal Subterranian planning future spontainety obeing rules ego-expressivity routine new experience work as virtue disdain to work
Play Self-contained; cathartic, ego-expressive (Giddens
1964) Voluntary; stepping out from „real“ life; contains its
own meaning (Huizinga 1969)
Motivation for drug use
To add productivity Coffee, cigarettes, amphetamine (soldiers, students)
To relax after work „Social“ drinking, prescribed barbiturates
Purely hedonistic ends „problem“ drinking; marihuana; heroin; (other drugs)
Drug using is accepted when it contributes to productivity (through stimulating or relaxing)
Hedonistic reasons condemned in modern capitalist society
Become desirable for groups who have limited opportunities to participate in consumer
society do not value the opportunities of consumer society
Vietnam veterans 3 years after Vietnam (Robbins et. al. 1979)
High % of heroin use among soldiers in Vietnam (54%) After 3 years 12% of previous addicts still used heroin War as favourable context of drug use Pharmacological influence of heroin was not powerful
enough to keep men addicted afterwards
Drugs, set and setting (Zinberg 1984)
Three variables which influence drug-taking behaviour Drug Set Setting
The setting is divided into two aspects Rituals - the stylized, prescribed patterns surrounding
the use of drug Social sanctions - norms regarding whether and how
particular drug should be used
Recreational Drug Use
Cambridge International Dictionary of English: ‘Recreational - (a way of) enjoying yourself when you are not working’
Limited to leisure time only Does not disturb everyday activities, working or learning Does not cause evident physical harm The user has no compulsory need to consume drugs
Problem Drug Use
Problem drug use refers to ‘injecting drug use or long-duration/regular use of opiates, cocaine and/or amphetamines’(EMCDDA)
Negatively affects person’s everyday activities Problems with criminals or law enforcement
agencies “Losing control”/ becoming addicted
Normalization of drug use Accommodation of behavioural norms, which were considered
deviant before, among the larger group of society Normalisation thesis
Drugs’ availability: the commodification of drugs and globalization of their supply, means that by 18 years of age most young people have been in situations where they could buy or try drugs
Drug experimentation: there has been a sustained rise in drug experimentation such that 50–60 per cent of young people have experimented with drug use on at least one occasion by the age of 18. Previously existing gender and social class differences in drug experimentation are being eroded
Drug use: there has been a sustained rise in the number of young people using drugs regularly and employing cost–benefit assessments of the risks and pleasures in making their choices
Being drug-wise: young people exchange drug experiences and stories regardless of whether they use drugs or not. Abstainers begin to accommodate the drug use of others as long as it is ‘sensible’, recreational use
Future intentions: there is an open-mindedness about future drug use even among young adults who went through adolescence without taking illicit drugs
Cultural accommodation of the illicit: normalization signifies the accommodation of activities previously considered ‘deviant’ by young people themselves into mainstream cultural arrangements. This ‘desubculturalizes’ drug use and allows the recreational use of less physically addictive drugs within a range of busy study, work and leisure agendas
Topics of seminars
Problem drug (heroin) use Punch, M. (2005) Problem Drug Use and the Political economy of urban restructuring
Duerte et. Al. (2003) Tragic beauties: heroin images and heroin users Presenter Janna Järvinen
Recreational drug use
Salasuo, M. & Seppäla, P (2004) Drug use within Finnish club-culture as mark of distinction Presenter Robin Lybek
Moffat, B. et al. (2009) A gateway to nature. Teenagers’ narratives on smoking marijuana outdoors.
Risk perception
Hunt, G. et al. (2007) Drug Use and meanings of risk and pleasure Presenter Filippa Haglund Rodner, S.(2006) Practicing Risk control in socially disapproved area
Drugs and gender Hutton, F (2004) Up for it, mad for it.
Payne, J. (2007) Women Drug users in North Cumbria
Drugs and ethnicity
Room, R. (2005) Multicultural context and alcohol and drug use as symbolic behaviour Presenter
Henning Silber Miller-Day, M& Barnett, J. (2004) I am not a druggy
Drugs in Eastern Europe Pilkington, H (2007) Beyond peer pressure
Miovski, M. (2007) Changing patterns of drug use in Czech
Dealing with drugs Pearson, G & Hobbs, D (2003) King Pin?
Jacinto, C et al (2008) I am not a real dealer!
Harm reduction and drug treatment McKeganey, N (2006) The lure and the loss of harm reduction in UK drug policy and practice
Tammi, T (2005) Diffusion of Public Health Views on Drug policy: the case of needle exchange in Finland
Guidelines for presentation
Central focus/research problem of the article Short overview of the article Critic of the article. What questions it arised? Argumentation of the article related to your
knowledge or experience If it is possible, make some connections to
Finnish/Swedesh society If it is possible, make some connections to
theoretical perspectives known from other lectures
