Social View On Drugs
As society has progressed, its view on drugs has changed along with it. Recent history of drugs shows how drugs are becoming a part of our society:
- In the late 1960s and early 70’s, the flower power hippy movement associated was with drugs such as marijuanaand other psychedelic drugs.
- The Ancient Greeks and other religious groups utilized drugs for religious and spiritual rituals.
- Nowadays, drugs have progressed from spreading joy and enhancing religion to causing addiction, violence, and death.
Society over the past few decades has changed the way its members use drugs and how they respond to their use. There has been a rise in addiction, people using and abusing drugs, and deaths related to or caused by the use of drugs.
Factors That Shaped Society’s Response To Drugs
The following factors have completely changed how society used to view and respond to drug culture.
New And Strict Laws
The government plays a key role in displaying the changing of society’s response to drug culture. The Uniform Controlled Substances Act (CSA) began in 1970. Here are some roles of CSA:
- CSA classifies drugs and mind-altering substances by their addictive properties, the potential for medical use, and their potential for adverse health.
- It plays a crucial part in how society responds to individual drugs.
- The CSA helps to controls the spread of drugs.
The government and federal agencies are attempting to fight the drug war by restricting the supply of drugs to users. Drug seizures and checks are becoming more frequent as the government attempts to block any drugs from being imported from countries such as China and Mexico.
Addicts Respond To Substances Acts
Drug addicts respond to the government’s efforts to restrict drug use in a variety of ways. The most common of which is:
- Simply ignoring the new and stricter laws and pressure from others
- The creation of new legal party drugs (which are slightly different molecular structures than those that are already controlled and so are technically legal when they come out).
A topical example of this is mephedrone, a.k.a. ‘bath salts’ or ‘plant food’. Mephedrone is a highly addictive and dangerous drug that started being circulated in around 2008-2009. These new drugs cause many new addictions to develop and fuel already present ones. Society responds to these by creating new laws and restrictions such as the DEA’s rush to make bath salts illegal.
More Research Into Addiction
Research into addiction has been a prominent contributor to the changing view on drugs. Due to increased research, following things have happened:
- Research into addiction has played a key role in society’s view on drugs.
- It helped to spread awareness and knowledge of addiction significantly and continues to do so.
- Research has proven that teenagers are more prone and susceptible to developing an addiction.
- Many adults have changed their views on allowing their children to try certain drugs.
- The majority of parents have increased their concerns over their children using drugs.
One would hope that this research has increased awareness of addiction amongst adolescents; however, the number of teenagers using and trying drugs for the first time is increasing.
Increase In Treatment Facilities
Investment and increase in treatment opportunities have been substantial over the past few decades showing both a need and demand for drug treatment. Society has attempted to fix the drug culture by stopping the biggest users by treating the disease. Treatment can be effective, but only if the drug addict wants it.
War On Drugs
It is safe to say that the war on drugs has increased dramatically over the past few decades and is constantly on the rise. Society does all it can to prevent drug usage through
- Spreading awareness
- Using legal measure
- Being more cautious
In the end, with rising use in the youth population, how much can be done to prevent children from using without keeping them monitored at all times. It seems to be in the nature of youth generations to explore and find new experiences to feel better. It just so happens that drugs are effective at making one feel better until one becomes dependent, then lives can be destroyed or lost.