Drugs and Crime Test 1

What is ubiquity in drug use? What theory is this argument used to support?

drugs have commonly been used by many humans to alter consciousness for thousands of years, this drive is present in all humans. Ubiquity supports the Nature Theory of drug use.

What was the name of the first federal agency responsible for regulating drugs?  Who was the first director? What was the name of the federal legislation that sought to discourage marijuana use in states/locals?

Federal Bureau of Narcotics, Harry Anslinger, Marijuana Tax Act

What is the leading cause of preventable deaths in the US?  Which illicit drug is most widely used?  How does prescription misuse compare with the use of other illicit substances?   How much per annum does the US spend on the “War on Drugs”.

Tobacco use, Marijuana, deaths caused by prescription drugs is 30 times higher than other drugs, 100 billion a year

What is the social construction of reality?  Who are the actors in the policy process responsible for its construction and what incentives do each have?

1. how the drug epidemic is socially constructed to make us scared. the actors are government officials, criminal justice officials and the media.

2. government need drugs to drive attention away from their policies they create

3. criminal Justice officials need drugs to justify increases in funding for their agencies

4. the media needs drugs to create moral panic and sell newspapers

What are the strategies employed by actors in the policy process to elevate the drug problem to its current status?  What is voodoo pharmacology?

1. emphasize the dangers of drugs

2. attribute strange powers to drugs that can make its users commit violent crimes

3. emphasize the fact that drugs are heavily taken by poor people and minorities and that drugs are pushed by foreign countries.

4. Voodoo pharmacology is the idea that drugs are powerful and can take over people’s minds and control them.

When was glue sniffing demonized?  What was the principal cause leading to acute death among those sniffing glue?

1959-1962, their deaths were not caused by glue sniffing but by suffocating because of a plastic bag.

What themes were present in the film “Refer Madness”?  Who was responsible for the production of the film?

the themes were that marijuana was a demonic drug that changed young people’s personalities, marijuana made young people commit violent crimes

What is amotivational syndrome?  What is the empirical status of the claim that marijuana is a “gateway drug”?  Why is it argued that usage rates among the Dutch are lower for illicit substances then that observed in the US?  What is the correlation does not equal causation argument acknowledge with respect to marijuana and other illicit drug use?

1. amotivational syndrome is when a person is uninterested in doing anything in life,

2. researchers have found out that it isn’t a gateway drug.

3. dutch government has successfully legalized some drugs causing more young people to choose softer drugs than harder ones.

4. marijuana use happens before people use of harder drugs

What is embourgeoisement?  What drug has experienced this phenomenon?  Contemporary depictions of marijuana focus on what (i.e., what are the adverse impacts of use) as compared to its portrayal in the 1930s?

1. marijuana use become popular among middle class people

2. Marijuana

3. they focus now on health and psychological risks of marijuana

What is MDMA?  What agency tested this drug for its value in interrogations? 

it is a drug that is also known as ecstasy. it is a stimulant and also a psychedelic drug. the CIA used it to interrogate people

How did Ricaurte et al.’s (2002) study contribute to public perceptions regarding the dangerousness of MDMA?  Were the dangers well founded, or were they later criticized?  Is the primary risk of MDMA use related to the drug itself, or adulterants often found in the drug?  Has MDMA been shown to produce cognitive impairments?

1. the study led to more calls for tougher laws to deal with ecstasy.

2. the dangers were criticized because his study actually gave monkeys a different drug by accident and not MDMA.

3. The primary risk of MDMA is because of adulterants or other substances put inside the drug.

 How is the current opioid “epidemic” different from others which preceded it?  What does it mean to say that the epidemic has been characterized by three distinct waves, and what are they?  What is Fentanyl and Carfentanil?

1. it is different because the current opioid epidemic is bigger and includes fentanyl

2. the three waves are, first the prescribing of opioids for pain relief in the 1990s, the second wave in 2010 that included heroin, and the third wave in 2013 where fentanyl deaths grew

3. fentanyl is a very strong pain killer that is 100 times stronger than morphine, carfentanil is 100 times stronger than fentanyl

Does fentanyl pose a significant risk to law enforcement through “contact” exposure?  What is the “Nocebo” effect?  Is the claim that cannabis is frequently laced with fentanyl supported by evidence?

1. there is not a very big risk to people who accidently touch fentanyl,

2. its mostly a placebo effect where they have panic attacks after thinking they got the fentanyl in their blood.

3. it is not true that cannabis is often mixed with fentanyl

 How has the war on drugs disproportionately affected blacks?  Until recently, what was the minimum prescribed federal mandatory sentence for possession of 5 grams of crack? Is crack more addictive than powder cocaine?  

1. black people have been more likely to be stopped and arrested after being accused of drug use.

2. 5 year sentence minimum for 5 grams of crack vs 500 grams of powder cocaine.

3. crack is no more addictive than powder cocaine

How are drug policy and the economy linked (think about how politicians get elected)?

Politicans gain support by claiming that illegal drug use and trafficking is causing higher costs in the economy. these same politicians after being elected pass stricter drug laws.

What is nature theory?  What are the arguments for its existence?

1. this theory believes that the desire to use psychoactive substances is a natural part of human beings just like being hungry or thirsty for food.

2. the theory is supported by the fact that humans for thousands of years used substances to change their moods like native Americans.

 What studies are used to support genetic biological studies?  What is metabolic imbalance theory?  Addiction to which drug is used as support for this theory?

1. studies that look at people’s race and ancestry

2. many drugs can cause disruptions in the body’s natural systems

3. alcohol or antidepressants

What is disease theory?  What important contribution did Elvin Jellinek make with respect to alcoholics?  What were the criticisms of his research on which he based his typology?

drug use is a disease and drug users are not at fault, its their genetics and social environment that is to blame.

2. Elvin jellinek’s study led to the American medical association using his terms to define alcoholism as a disease.

3. some people criticized the fact that his studies were not very scientifically valid and didn’t even include women

What is Self-Derogation Theory?  What is Problem Behavior Theory?  What does each argue is the reason for drug use?

the self-derogation theory views substance use as pathological and the result of a lack of self-esteem.

2. the problem behavior theory views substance use as a symptom of an underlying behavioral problem characterized by risk taking.

 What is Operant Learning Theory and how is it related to drug use?

this theory believes that drug use includes positive and negative reinforcement and punishment and imitation. they are reinforced by society and friends

 What is Social Learning Theory and how is it related to drug?  How are parents and peers related to social learning over the life-course?

social learning theory states that drug use is learned from close friends, family and peers.

What is subculture theory?  How is it related to social learning theory?

drug users learn to use drugs from a certain subculture that they are in. this subculture is made up of friends who all have a certain value system that views drug use positively.

 What is Social Control/Bonding theory?  What is the empirical status of this theory in explaining drug use?

according to this theory, drug use is a natural tendency of humans unless they are socialized away from using it by society. our social bonds to society (ties to our family, school, job) prevent us from using drugs

What is Classical Strain Theory?  What is General Strain Theory?  How do these theories explain drug use?

this theory says that when there is a gap between the goals in society (getting a big house) and the legally ways to get that money (getting a job), strain is created. people alleviate this strain by using drugs and alcohol.

general strain theory is much bigger than the classic strain theory and focuses on more than just financial strain but also strain from losing family members and failing school

What is Social Conflict Theory and how does it explain drug use?

this theory believes that drug laws are not created because we all think drugs are harmful but because these laws benefit the wealthy. society is in a constant struggle between opposing groups

What is acute, chronic, and behavioral toxicity?