Drug Use and Public Policy
Assignment 1 - SOC 4790
Find a recent (within last four years) newsarticle that discusses the current opioid drug crisis in the US and a subsequent form of a social problem tied to it (attach a URL link information or a scan of the first page of the article with the assignment). You need to provide the appropriate reference information in the text of your assignment, i.e. name of author/publication, date. Part of the assignment is to choose appropriate/reliable sources!
The articleyou choose needs to:
a) go into some detail concerning the nature of the opioid drug abuse in the country and offer some explanation(s) for why the individual/group involved is believed to have gotten into problematic use and/or,
b) why the particular drug use is problematic in general.
* If you are unsure whether the article you have chosen is appropriate for the assignment, please discuss with me a.s.a.p.
Your write-up should focus on the following points (organize your paper according to these - the paper will be graded based on these points!):
Briefly (1-2 paragraphs) describe the current opioid crisis and circumstances surrounding it, as described in the article.
What explanations does the article offer to explain why this drug use is problematic?
Are the causes attributed to the drug use individual or institutional/structural in nature? Make sure you show me that you understand the difference between these two types of explanations. This point will already have been covered in posted lectures.
Do you feel that the explanations for this drug problem in the article are adequate? Why or why not? (Note e.g. if structural factors are omitted that could be useful in understanding it.)
Based on your analysis about the opioid drug abuse in the article, what specific public policiesmight be developed to reduce it?
Length: 2 – 2 ½ typed pages - double spaced (Times New Roman or similar font style and regular margins)
Due date: Monday, Feb. 22nd, 2021 @ Noon.
Cover page: State name of paper, your name + name of course
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
Drug Use and Public Policy
Briefly (1-2 paragraphs) describe the current opioid crisis and circumstances surrounding it, as described in the article.
“A Population Health Approach to America’s Opioid Epidemic” by Susan Salmond and Virginia Allread is the article I chose for this assignment. In the article, both authors aver that the United States is battling a national health emergency because of some pharmaceutical companies’ actions. The report contains a candid description of how the United States became a primary victim in the opioids scandal. Salmond and Allread assert the increased misuse of opioids led to the massive deaths of approximately 72,000 people in 2017 (Salmond and Allread 96). One of the circumstances related to the current opioid crisis is an increase in the number of males dying because of overdose cases than females.
What explanations does the article offer to explain why this drug use is problematic?
One explanation the article offers regarding the drug’s problematic nature is that the is no public awareness. Besides, the authors state that 24 percent of people using opioids for chronic pain for approximately 36 months became addicted, fueling their urge to continue using them. The drug seems to be problematic because of its increased availability in the market and lack of restrictions barring its purchase over the counter without a doctor’s prescription. Additionally, lack of employment opportunities and cheap nature make it an ideal drug in low-income earning families. Accordingly, the prevalence of social problems, such as rejection by family members and isolation by friends, is another factor that compels most Americans to consider it, making it problematic to control.
Are the causes attribut...