Running head: SOCIAL FACTORS WHICH LEAD TO DRUG USE

Factors within Society which Lead To Drug Addiction: How the Canadian Government Could
Better Fight Drug Addiction
Jeremy M. diCenzo
Sir. Sandford Fleming College

Running head: SOCIAL FACTORS WHICH LEAD TO DRUG USE

Factors within Society which Lead to Drug Addiction: How the Canadian Government could
Better Fight Drug Addiction
A moral panic ensues when the majority of citizens within a society believe that a certain
form of deviance poses a profound threat to societys well-being (Brym, Roberts, Lie, Rytina,
2013, p. 160). Today, Canadian society is in the midst of a moral panic, as most Canadians
believe that drug use is inherently corruptive and a threat to society. Yet despite the
governments efforts, Statistics Canada (2014) did not observe a decrease in Canadian drug use
between 2004 and 2011. This is a result of the government taking a one-pronged approach, the
threat of incarceration, which fails to address the many factors within Canadian society that leads
to drug use. Considering this, the Canadian government should attempt to address these issues
directly in order to successfully fight drug addiction, as opposed to simply threatening drug
addicts with imprisonment. However, a government cannot reform drug policy until the society
that it represents realizes the truth behind addiction.
The first step for a society that wishes to successfully fight drug addiction is to realize
that the common myth about drug addiction is false. While most people believe that the
substance is the sole cause for addiction, this is simply not true. One of the more obvious pieces
of evidence supporting this is the use of diamorphine (and other opiates) in hospitals (Mat,
2010; Hari, 2015). Today, people are prescribed opiates (the active ingredient in heroin) to
relieve pain for extended periods of time after a medical procedure, however, these patients
rarely become addicts. For instance, as Hari (2015) stated in an interview with Mayer, people
may notice their grandmother was not turned into a junkie [i.e. a drug addict] by her hip
operation. These anecdotal observations are supported by ample empirical evidence. For

Running head: SOCIAL FACTORS WHICH LEAD TO DRUG USE

example, an article in the Canadian Journal of Medicine (as cited in Mat, 2010) studied
international research which covered over 6000 patients who received narcotics for long-lasting
pain. It was concluded that there was no significant risk of addiction among these patients.
Considering this, it is clear that simple exposure to a substance does not cause addiction, but
rather, addicts were predisposed to developing an addiction due in part to the social factors
surrounding them.
Various social factors can contribute to an individual abusing drugs. For example,
Wurmser (1974) compiled abundant research that shows being cut off from family and friends is
a major influence that leads to drug use. Furthermore, Alexander (as cited in Mat, 2010)
conducted an innovative experiment using laboratory rats. The researcher first put multiple rats
in their own very small, empty cage. These rats would have two water bottles to drink from; one
was pure water and the other was water laced with morphine. As the researcher expected, for
almost all the experiments, the rats would quickly overdose after trying the morphine as they
repeatedly went back for another dose. However, the results differed if a group of rats, of mixed
gender, were placed into a single large cage that mimicked their natural environment. In this
experiment, the rats still tried the morphine-laced water, but would rarely go back for a second
dose. Taken together, this research by Alexander (as cited in Mat, 2010) suggests that drug
addiction can rapidly develop following exposure to the substance, as is commonly believed.
However, the likelihood of this occurring is highly dependent on the social environment (in this
case, being isolated or not) of the individual. However, it must be remembered that this research
was conducted on laboratory rats, and may therefore not directly translate to humans.

Running head: SOCIAL FACTORS WHICH LEAD TO DRUG USE

The next step to improve on Alexanders (as cited in Mat, 2010) work would be to use
humans instead of laboratory rats, but this could not be attempted for moral reasons. However,
the Vietnam War serves as a suitable substitute. To explain, approximately 50% of U.S soldiers
tried heroin while fighting overseas, 40% of which became addicted (Davis, Goodwin & Robins,
1974). The U.S. government became aware of this problem and were afraid that there would be
an increase in the number of drug addicts in the United States after the war (Hari, 2015).
However, after a year of being home, only 10% of the U.S. soldiers who fought in Vietnam had
any contact with heroin (Davis et. al., 1974). The sudden decrease in drug use amongst these
soldiers is most likely due to their reconnection with family and friends. Similar to the Rat Park
experiment, the Vietnam War suggested that drug addiction is strongly influenced by social
factors, such as isolation.
Knowing that isolation from family and friends can lead to drug use, one can deduce
factors within society that cause people to feel isolated from family/friends. For example,
members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in parts of Australia
use drugs at a higher level than the rest of their society (De Wit et al., 2013). This could be due
to the fact that the LGBT community is discriminated against in Australia society, and many feel
unaccepted in their communities and families. If Australian society became more accepting of
the LGBT community, drug use amongst the LGBT community would be expected to drop. In
order to achieve this, the government should educate their citizens on discrimination, and attempt
to create a society more accepting of minorities. Another factor that can affect drug use in
Canada is the legal age at which a child can be evicted by their parents. In Ontario, children can
be kicked-out of their parents home at 18 and choose to leave at 16. A common reason parents

Running head: SOCIAL FACTORS WHICH LEAD TO DRUG USE

want to evict their children is drug use. While parents may think evicting their children will help
with their childs drug problem (tough love), it will most likely do the opposite. Considering the
evidence presented here (Davis et al., 1974; De Wit et al., 2013; Mat, 2010; Hari, 2015;
Wurmser, 1974), the best way to deal with a teenaged drug addict is to further support them and
try to address the root of their drug problem, as opposed to increasingly isolating these teenagers
and potentially pushing them further into drugs. Overall, the government should attempt to
address, and then deal with social factors that lead to people feeling isolated from their
family/friends, or society as a whole.
Other social factors can lead to drug use besides isolation. As Wurmser (1974) states,
drugs counteract the emotional state of emptiness, boredom, and meaninglessness (p. 833).
Being unemployed can lead an individual to experience these emotions (Hari, 2015). While it
may be tough to imagine a solution for this particular problem, the Government of Portugal
developed a solution 14 years ago. Since 2001, the Portuguese Government has been subsidizing
jobs for drug addicted citizens (Hari, 2015). To explain, in Portugal, once a drug addict is
identified, they are put on a waiting list for a job. The government would then find a company
with a job opening, and offer to pay 50% of the addicts wage if they are hired. Most companies
accept the offer. The potential for this to be an effective means for curing drug addicts is high, as
it gives their life more meaning, as well as supplies addicts the chance to meet new people,
possibly putting an end to their boredom (Hari, 2015). This method would also be supported by
Holder, Longabough, Miller and Rubonis (as cited in Health Canada, 2013), whos data suggests
that social skills training and the community reinforcement approach, are among the best ways to
fight drug addiction. However, before this or any other treatment methods can be put into

Running head: SOCIAL FACTORS WHICH LEAD TO DRUG USE

practice, all drugs must be decriminalized; meaning the possession of small amounts of drugs for
personal purposes is legal.
Decriminalization of all drugs is an essential step in the fight against drug addition for
several reasons. Firstly, many people who are isolated from their families know they have a drug
problem, but feel they cannot get over their addiction alone (Pan et al., 2013). However, since
drug use is illegal, many Canadian addicts are afraid of approaching the police for help, as they
do not fully trust the police and feel that the police are more concerned with enforcement as
opposed to harm reduction (Pan et al., 2013). If, however, drug addicts could fully trust the
police and know that their drug problem is not criminal, they may be more likely to approach the
police for help. Furthermore, when someone is incarcerated for drug use, they are at an even
higher risk of doing drugs once they are released then before they were arrested (Hari, 2015).
According to Hari (2015), this is because, punishmentshaming a person, caging them, making
them unemployabletraps them in addiction (p.629). Logically, this makes sense considering
isolation leads to drugs use and prisoners are amongst the most isolated in society. Additionally,
it is impossible for drug addicts to receive proper treatment for their problem when drugs use is
criminal, since in Canadian society, criminals are expected to receive harsh retribution for their
crime (Brym et al., 2013).
Rehabilitation is the belief that inmates can be taught how to be productive members of
society upon their release (Brym et al., 2013). Today, many Canadians do not abide by the idea
that prisons should focus on rehabilitating prisoners (Brym et al., 2013). Instead, Canadians seem
to think that prisons should emphasis punishment, and politicians regularly use a tough on crime
stance to gain popularity among voters, increasing support for this ideology (Brym et al., 2013).

Running head: SOCIAL FACTORS WHICH LEAD TO DRUG USE

Therefore, since drug use is a crime, Canadians expect drug users to receive formal punishment;
i.e. an official jail sentence for drug possession (Brym et al., 2013). The need to punish has
become so important to Canadians that the fact these drug addicts need treatment is normally
overlooked (Hari, 2015). This is why, as Hari (2015) explains, the government should approach
drug addiction not as a criminal justice situation but more as a public health situation (p. 190).
Everything considered, it is vital for drugs to be decriminalized if the Canadian government
wishes to fight drug addiction successfully.
While the current paper suggest social factors are a major factor contributing to the
development of a drug addiction, it is important to note that after prolonged use, specific
individuals will become physically dependent on a drug. As Weiten and McCann (2013) states,
physical dependency exist when a person must continue to take a drug to avoid withdrawal
symptoms (p. 235). Though withdrawal symptoms vary depending on the drug being used,
common symptoms are chills, cramps and tremors (Weiten & McCann, 2013). It is important to
remember however, that individuals will only become physically addicted to a drug after an
extremely prolonged period of taking a drug constantly (Weiten & McCann, 2013). This is
contrary to the popular belief which states an individual will become physically addicted to a
drug after their first try. While certain drug addicts may experience withdrawal symptoms,
McDonald and Siegel (as cited in Weiten & McCann, 2013) found that withdrawal symptoms are
often elicited by stimuli that have been parried with the drug in the past (p. 236). This suggest
that drug addiction may be physical, but triggered by external factors.
Overall, there is abundant research suggesting that drug addiction is not purely physical.
Instead, it seems that various social factors are the main causes for addiction. Isolation from

Running head: SOCIAL FACTORS WHICH LEAD TO DRUG USE

family and friends, feelings of boredom and meaninglessness, as well as feeling unaccepted in
society are all factors which lead people to use drugs. Considering this, the government should
put more resources into dealing with these issues directly, as this will prevent individuals from
taking drugs in the future and help addicts achieve sobriety. However, this cannot be
accomplished prior to the decriminalization of all drugs in Canada.

Running head: SOCIAL FACTORS WHICH LEAD TO DRUG USE

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