The use of drugs has been a very serious problem
in the US history and it has been a priority problem
that has always attracted expedient measures from
the part of various law making bodies. However,
trends and socio-economic indicators point to
the fact that the usage patterns of drugs in the
American society is influenced by a majority of
factors that are definitely under the sway of
social, economic and cultural influences.
Analysis
Saul and Falk (1990), in their
article, stresses the fact that drug usage pattern
in the United States is influenced by a lot of
social and economic factors. For example, even
though the number of casual drug users has come
down dramatically since 1985 (a healthy 72 percent
decrease between 1985and 1990), the actual number
of hardcore drug users is alarmingly increasing.
For example, the number of users who use Crack,
a relatively cheap drug has increased from 292,000
in 1988 to 335,000 in 1990.
The data assumes significance when
combined with another observation by the same
authors that the majority of the hardcore drug
users are from the poor inner city limits of the
country. A major part of these populations are
constituted by blacks, hispanics, the jobless
poor and people who come from very poor backgrounds.
Similarly, men have been seen to use drugs more
than women. According to the available brands,
different drugs have different popularity levels.
Marijuana for example, is considered
to be popular among the students and the youth,
while crack and cocaine is popular among people
who cannot afford to have costly drugs. Cocaine
is also the preferred drug of the causal users,
or those who try drugs for the first time.
The article proves that national efforts have
been able to persuade casual users away from drugs
while hardcore users of drugs continue to use
it at an alarming rate. Experts believe that punitive
measures like jail terms and penalties can do
little to stop such groups from using drugs because
they do not have anything to lose if they are
punished. Punitive actions are effective only
against those who fear lose of job, money, or
status and that explains why drug use has declined
among the financially well-to-do people, the middle
class, and those with a decent job.
The use of drugs and drug related anti-social
activities in the United States is influenced
by certain cultural beliefs and social norms as
well. For example, many experts believe that peer
pressure is a very important factor that encourages
most people to use drugs. It is for this reason
that students and the youth are the most susceptible
as a group, as far as drug use is concerned. The
need to conform and identify with a group and
the need to feel modern and up-to-date are some
of the factors that encourage youngsters to use
drugs.
Similarly, elements that make up the American
culture also give undue importance to drugs and
often glorify its use. For example, many jazz
singers, popular musicians, and artists of the
entertainment industry have used drugs and even
supported or encouraged people to take it. The
most vulnerable group that falls for such social
programming is the youth who believe their demigods
in letter and spirit. In the Modern American society,
hip-hop music and rap have also been accused of
encouraging drugs and substance abuse as Jazz
did some decades before [Caro, 2002].
Similarly, there has always been a close association
between writers and drugs [Ronnel, 1994]. All
these observations point to the fact that the
literary and cultural scene in the United States
has always been associated with drugs even though
the extent of the influence is debatable.
Drug and substance abuse can significantly affect
the health of a population. Drugs and substance
abuse can cause major changes in the human physiology
and also can become the routes for dispersal of
various disease causing organisms like HIV. For
example, many surveys have proved that drugs have
been the main cause for the spread of diseases
like AIDS [Smereck and Hockman, 1998].
Similarly, alcoholism can affect generations
because alcoholic parents can affect the psychological
development of children. The use of alcohol and
drugs by pregnant mothers can also impart serious
physical deformities on children. All these prove
that the effect of substance abuse is not restricted
to the user, and that it is passed on from one
generation to another. Hence, there is an immediate
need to regulate and reduce the use of drugs particularly
among the hardcore users. Much more effort and
educational initiatives are required to help people
who are lost to the world of drugs.
References
1. Stephanie Saul and William B. Falk (1990),
Some Battles Won in Drug War Hard-core use still
on the rise, Newsday Inc., 1990
2. Caro Gabriel, 2002, Hip-Hop Culture, Drugs,
and Drug Policy, The Wager , Volume 7 Number 49
3. Ronell, A. (1994), Our narcotic modernity,
in V. A. Conley (Ed.), Rethinking technologies,
Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press
4. Smereck Geoffrey A.D., and Hockman Elaine
M, (1998), Prevalence of HIV infection and HIV
risk behaviors associated with living place, American
Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, may
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