There are major changes occurring in our social world with regard to drug use and legalization. Several states, including California, Colorado, Nevada, Washington, and Oregon, have legalized the medical and/or recreational use of marijuana. In your initial post, use one of the three major sociological theories to analyze drug use and drug legalization in the United States today. How does the sociological theory compare with your own personal view of drug usage/legalization? In response to at least two of your peers’ posts, critique your peers’ analysis in explaining drug use and drug legalization in the United States.
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Response to william heard
The conflict perspective tells us “drug abuse is shaped by the powerful groups of society that are
in a position to define which crimes or which drugs will be sanctioned and made illegal”.
Caffeine, sugar, and tobacco all have addictive qualities and have been proven to be harmful in
large quantities, but the groups in the society who have power do not consider them drugs. If we
were to consider things like sugar and caffeine drugs, it would be safe to say that most
Americans are chronic drug users.
Using the conflict perspective we can say that drug use is directly tied to what the powerful in
the society consider a drug. According to the conflict perspective “some groups benefit in
economic and other ways from the consumption of drugs by others, and it is in their interests to
make drugs available and encourage their use”. If the powerful of the society can find ways to
benefit economically through the legalization of drugs, it is likely they will make them legal. If
caffeine were made illegal, the powerful in the society would likely see their profits drop. If
marijuana and other soft drugs were made legal, private prisons and other industries tied to the
war on drugs would likely see their profits drop. Using the conflict perspective, it is important
for the powerful to maintain power through profits, so the legalization or criminalization would
only come about based on the amount of money to made or lost. I agree with the conflict
perspective, the powerful in the society determine what is and isn’t a drug. If the powerful in the
society determine that they can profit by legalizing drugs I believe they will do so.
Reference
Sullivan, T. (2016). Introduction to Social Problems (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson
Education Inc.
Response to nicole sigler
The interactionist perspective focuses on individuals within a group and their daily lives rather
than focusing on an entire group. In many states, the use of marijuana is not legal but there are
many people that still continue to use it knowing that is is not legal. According to our textbook,
“a social problem exists when some social condition is defined by an influential group as
stigmatizing or threatening to its values and disruptive of normal social expectations” (Sullivan,
11). Because it is not legal in all states and there are people within communities that still involve
themselves with it, there has been conflicts with the people using them; causing much
disorganization within a group. In places where marijuana is legal, that stigma against using it
has vanished and society can run smoother. Many people feel threatened when they know that
the law is being broken and there is not much that can be done about it. There are such large
numbers of people using illegal drugs and get away with it. There are instances though where
people do get caught and obtain consequences but most of the time that is not enough to stop
them from ever taking an illegal drug again. I believe that the use of marijuana should be legal in
all states because of the popularity of it, and the medical benefits that come along with it. There
can be dangerous side effects that come along with using marijuana but most of the time a person
cannot come into serious danger. It is an hallucinogenic drug but if taken in small enough doses,
is will not affect a person negatively. If taken in a larger dose, the side effects will be more
severe but a persons body will not come into much danger. Medical marijuana has become a
very popular choice for people with muscle or other body pains. For example, my mom has lived
with severe neck pains for years until her doctor prescribed her medical marijuana in a edible
form. Since she has been taking these, the pain that she has felt has decreased immensely.
Marijuana has been known to be a muscle relaxer which benefits many people. I also believe that
if it were to be legal in all states there would not be as many people taking it. Many high school
students will use marijuana because they know that they are breaking the law and find it to be
amusing but when it becomes legal, it will not give them the pleasure of sneaking around. I have
asked many people who are current users and they would agree with me when I say that. Making
marijuana legal will benefit individuals life’s as well as the whole group.
References
Sullivan, Thomas J. Introduction to Social Problems, 10th Edition. Pearson, 20150202.
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