SOC212: Chapter 15 – The Social Construction of Drug Scares

Ross Au

Reactions:

1) What I found most fascinating about this article is the relatively neutral standpoint the author
makes about drugs and their usage. I have a subjective opinion, that this author may not be
against drugs at all, and assuming that this was the case, he wouldn't be able to admit it,
otherwise he would risk ridicule from academic reviewers, and his writing most likely would
not have been published. This is extremely interesting though, because this hypothetical
situation illustrates exactly what the author is trying to say about how the dangers of drugs are
not primarily found within the actual drugs, but rather, are created by social forces.

2) Despite the previous point though, I found that this article was a new take on an old topic. Ever
since we were kids, it has been made explicitly clear that drugs are something to stay away
from, but according to what the author has to say, perhaps what is more dangerous are the social
tools/agencies that have the power to exaggerate truths, and worse yet, force their versions of
the truth upon such a susceptible audience.

Keepers:

1) I think that one of the most important arguments the author makes in this chapter is that the
concept of a “drug scare” is a form of moral panic that is ideologically constructed by moral
entrepreneurs (such as schools, churches, medical professionals). Thus, based on this evidence,
it is possible to argue that the “drug pandemic” is not as bad as it seems.

2) The second point I would like to take from this article is that the increased level of drug
awareness is brought to light through various mediums that perpetuate the issue of drugs as
being a problem on the level of the individual, rather than of broader social issues. For
example, the case that was discussed about San Francisco's “opium epidemic” in the late 19th
century, in which the author claims the criminalization of opium in San Francisco had more to
do with the context of economic recession, racism, and class conflict, rather than the potential
dangers that smoking opium may have.

Questions:

1) In the chapter, one of the “ingredients” for a drug scare is that of “politico-moral entrepreneurs”
who serve as the media's primary sources for relaying information about the potential dangers of drugs.
However, according to the author, most of the time there was an external factor for these entrepreneurs
that motivated them to fulfill their part in an anti-drug campaign (financial gain for example). Thus, I
would like to know whether or not the author considers drug scares as a direct product of capitalism.

2) The drug related issues discussed in this chapter seemed to focus only on drug use in factions of the
lower class. How then, are drug related issues dealt with in the elite class? The immediate example I
can think of is Rob Ford (though I'm sure he's not the only politician who has done drugs). One of the
actions taken in response to his choices has branched off into a commercialization of his drug habits.
Now Rob Ford T-Shirts, bobbleheads, buttons etc are readily available for public consumption. People
of lower class with drug issues simply get reprimanded for their actions, while the social elites who
have those same issues get away with little backlash (Ford even isn't out of office yet). How is this
fair?

Why does the topic matter?

On the most basic level, I think that this topic matters, because drugs are so commonplace in
North American society and it is important to understand the topic objectively, and with attention to the
social structures that surround it. However, I believe a larger issue that the author brings up is the
amount of trust we can invest into the teachings of the institutional. Since the author bases his
arguments of this “drug scare” phenomenon as an entity created by the institutions in which we are
obligated to follow, he encourages us to question other “scares” that are used by the social
infrastructure with quite possibly, a malicious intent to limit our freedom as human beings.