Worldwide, drugs have surrounded the presence of the many individuals in different societies for thousands of years. Throughout time, issues and concerns about the use, abuse and outcomes of a drug have continually been circulating discussions among practioners, the media and above all the general public. Considering the notion that the concern of drug use has been constant in our lives, the term of what actually constitutes something as a drug must be examined.
A widespread believes of what constitutes a drug is that "it must be something or does something that makes one part of a natural entity." (Goode, 1993:36) However, among sociologists, the concept of a drug is referred to as "a culture artifact, a social fabrication that is appealed to certain substances in specific contexts or settings". (Goode, 1993:37) Nonetheless, Goode argues, that the term "drug" is not solely based on just one specific description. Though, instead, he suggests that it is society as a whole who labels certain actions or behaviors as acceptable or unacceptable, which in turn, leads to different societal reactions among citizens about certain substances.
Anti-alcoholism comic book ad
7338 - Moscow - Bolotnaya Proshad - Children are t...
When overall harm to society and the drug user are...(Goode, 1993:37) From this, a main area of concern which is essential for one to study, is the use of drugs and the reason behind why some underlying factors affect the way in which certain drugs are deemed problematic and deviant within a society and others are not. The perception on classifying social problems can be further examined through the infamous claim made by Erich Goode. Thus, the intention of this analytical paper is to examine Goode's analysis of social problems by discussing the way in which drug use, specifically alcoholic substances, relate to the study of drug use and how it account for the legal status of alcohol today.
When referring to the article, "Looking at...