Illicit drugs use has to begun to undergo a process of normalization in Britain: Assess the argument for and against this thesis?

Essay by altamashUniversity, Bachelor'sB+, March 2007

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Some Researchers think that the use of illegal drug is experiencing normalization in Britain.

Surveys has showed that drugs has been a essential part of some peoples life, but every picture has two sides, it is very important to see the both sides of every story.To evaluate normalization of drugs it is important to understand what drug is and why people start using it.

Illicit drugs has been divided into three classes. The class A includes heroin,cocaine,Lsd and ecstasy, class B includes amphetamines, cannabies, though in march 2002,the ACMD recommended that cannabis be re-scheduled as class C drug. This category also includes tranquillizers and some mild stimulants. Maximum penalties are highest for class A and lowest for class C.

Drug users comes from highly selective groups, such as people with neglected childhoods or students because it is easy to trace students and to convince them to go into drugs.

There are many biological ,social psychological,historical and economic reasons behind drug use. Most illegal drug users are young because of youthful anxieties ,people who have high anxiety levels or other strong psychological needs use drugs to adjust their unsatisfactory mental states to a more acceptable condition and drug taking satisfies a variety of psychological needs, psychiatric disturbance and drug taking may caused by some other factors.

Broken homes ,education or occupational disadvantages also led people to drugs. If we research on the family background of the drug users or drug dependent individuals in treatment institutions ,have high proportion which comes from disturbed families. There is a link between drug use and parental separation, institutionalised drug dependents have parents who were themselves alcohol or drug users or come from loveless homes.

Some people have poor backgrounds they just start drugs to get high to feel relaxed ,to get an enjoyable experience.