War On Drugs Unit 1 Exam

What statement best describes psychoactive substance use throughout human history?

Humans have found a way to alter their consciousness and achieve mood changes or emotions.

When were all psychoactive drugs in the United States legal under federal law?

Late 19th century to early 20th century

According to clinical definitions, substance abuse refers to...

Repeated drug use that produces harmful consequences, such as health problems, family conflict, failure to meet responsibilities, use in dangerous situations, or legal trouble.

Under what conditions does the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) consider illicit drug use to be "drug misuse?"

ANY illicit use of a substance as drug misuse

Cocaine and amphetamines are what type of drug?

Stimulants

Which of the following best describes the widely accepted "addiction as disease" perspective?

Functions in the body are altered, and certain symptoms are mainfest.

What is one reason critics argue that substance dependency (or addiction) is a behavioral issue, rather than a medical issue?

Personal choice plays an important role in initiating and sustaining drug use.

Drug abusers can stop or control their use but choose not to.

Criminal recidivism is highly likely among drug users.

Drug abuse is just another indicator of general deviance.

What does research on biological and genetic theories suggest about the causes of drug abuse?

That these causes are patterns of intergenerational effects and there is no addiction gene, but genetics likely influence vulnerability to drug abuse.

What theory states that external cues, such as locations or sounds, can become associated with drug use and trigger cravings?

Classical Conditioning Theory

How does operant conditioning theory help explain drug abuse?

The stronger the reward and the closer it occurs temporally, the stronger the conditioned response.

General Risk Factor Theory (or Problem Behavior Theory) suggests that drug abuse may result from...

The risk factors that contribute to all forms of general deviance.

Why might social control theory be a relatively weak explanation for drug use?

Peer influences are not adequately considered

What can explain intergenerational patterns of drug use?

Parenting skills

Psychological stress

Social factors associated with alcohol and drug abuse

Which theories emphasize that drug-related harms are shaped by social class, income disparities, power, and marginalization?

Conflict theory

Strain theory argues that drug use among "retreatists" is...

Essentially give up and become enmeshed in drug abuse and addiction.

Which of the following is a major challenge for theories of drug use?

Compulsive use or dependence does not automatically result from drug use.

The abuse and dependence potential varies by type of drug.

More important to focus on drug related harms than drug use itself.

Theories need to distinguish among the different elements of drug use versus desistance from drug use.

According to differential association theory, drug use is most likely when...

Exposure to groups defining the behavior as good and the behavior is then reinforced by group approval.

Which of the following is a dilemma for social learning and subcultural theories of crime?

The causal direction may not be clear

Among state inmates sentenced for a violent offense, what percent reported committing the offense to buy drugs?

10

Which statement best summarizes the pattern of drug use among offenders?

Do offenders use drugs at higher rates than the general population? (Yes), but do most drug users commit other crimes? (No).

Why is the relationship between drug use and crime difficult to interpret?

It is hard to distinguish what drug, or drugs actually triggered the criminal behavior

Which model argues that drug abusers were already involve in criminal or delinquent behavior before initiating drug use (Goode, 2012)?

The Predisposition model

Which statement best describes the intensification model of the drugs-crime relationship (Goode, 2012)?

Drug abuse accelerates but does not cause criminla behavior

Which best describes research findings on "street" drug use and property crime (e.g., Nurco et al., 1990)?

High amounts of drug use led to greater amounts of acquisitive crime suggesting a direct causal effect

Which best describes the findings of Allen's (2005) study based on interviews of heroin and crack users in Britain?

Users tend to engage in petty theft crimes and these reflected neighborhood and subcultural influences on behavior rather than caused by drug use.

In Goldstein's (1985) framework, what is the "psychopharmacological" explanation for the drug-violence connection?

Certain drugs, like stimulants, increase excitability, aggression, hostility, and irrationality. Then increase the likelihood of aggressive violent behavior.

In Goldstein's (1985) framework, what is the "economic-impulsive" explanation for the drug-violence connection?

Drug users need money to maintain their drug dependance. Users engage in behavior (such as robbery and burglary) that can turn violent.

In Goldstein's (1985) framework, what is the "systemic" explanation for the drug-violence connection?

Drug dealing is inherently confrontational and exploitative and the social and economic contexts of drug distribution foster aggression and violence.

How well does Goldstein's (1985) economic-impulsive model explain violent crime?

A small amount (7% of drug related homicides were explained).

Which of Goldstein's (1985) three models is most supported for explaining drug-related violence?

Systemic Model

Which of the following is true about the relationship between stimulant use and violent behavior?

The effects of stimulants on violence depends upon personality and contextual factors.

Which substance is consistently linked to increased risk of violence?

Alcohol. Many drug users also use alcohol.

What of the following is NOT a key conclusion of the drugs-crime Research?

Ample evidence that the structure of the illegal drug trade increases risk of violence in substantial ways

Chronic drug use among those in lower socioeconomic strata appears to increase property crime, especially during periods of active drug use

The evidence of direct psychopharmacological effect of drugs on crime, especially violence, is mixed. Although there is an association between stimulant use and violence, there is limited evidence for a causal link (in contrast to alcohol), and more research is needed.

Which best describes regulations around substances throughout the 1700s and the 1800s?

Americans were heavy drinkers and there was no legal drinking age.

What was the 18th Amendment primarily designed to prohibit?

The manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within the United States.

What were the key argument(s) in support of Prohibition?

Alcohol was viewed as the root of many social problems

Prohibition would improve public morality

Workers would become more productive

Families would benefit financially

The government could reduce crime by eliminating alcohol

What was the role of Volstead Act?

To ban the distribution of beverages containing more than 0.5% alcohol

What was the main reason the Prohibition increased crime?

They wanted control of the lucrative illegal alcohol industry

What political issue was opium use commonly associated with in the United States politics and media in the late 1800s and early 1900s

Aligned with anti-Chinese sentiments at the time

Why was the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 important in the history of drug regulation?

It required manufacturers to list the ingredients of all patent medicines that were distributed across state lines.

Which statement best describes the Harrison Tax Act of 1914?

The law specifically provided that manufacturers, importers, pharmacists, and physicians prescribing narcotics should be licensed to do so at a moderate fee

What was one major ambiguity in the Harrison Tax Act of 1914?

If registered physicians could prescribe opium and cocaine to addicted users

How did the Harrison Tax Act of 1914 contribute to the criminalization of addiction?

It forced people who were dependent on substances to turn to illicit sources of drugs, because they were unable to get them from doctors.

Which statement best describes the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937?

Designed to stamp out the distribution and use of marijuana

Which of the following best describes the Reefer Madness Trailer?

That smoking weed is hell and leads to increased anger, murder, or even suicide

Which best describes the Uniform Narcotic Drug Act>

It was to determine the appropriate punishment for violations of the law was left up to the states

Which law first established mandatory minimums for federal drug offense?

The Boggs Act

When did the use of LSD become widespread in the United States among young people?

1960s

Which political issue was associated with LSD use in the United States politics and media?

Vietnam War Protests

Which of the following is true about the Nixon Administration's approach to drug control?

Established the NIDA which is a federal agency for drug research and education

Authorized the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse to make recommendations about drug policy

Established the categories of controlled substance (5 schedules) based on a drug's medical use and potential for abuse

Did NOT establish minimum sentences. It was set that a small amount of marijuana should be given probation for one year or less