Drug Abuse as a Social Problem A Look at the Conflict and...

Drugs have been around for thousands of years. A drug is any chemical that produces a therapeutic or non-therapeutic effect in the body (Drugs and Teen Substance Abuse 2000.) Most drugs were first used for medicinal purposes, such as marijuana. Active substances were not extracted into drugs until the 19th century. Newly discovered substances like morphine, laudanum, and cocaine were completely unregulated and prescribed freely by physicians for a wide variety of ailments. Wounded veterans returned home with their kits of morphine and hypodermic needles (History of Drug Abuse, n.d.) The use of illegal drugs is increasing, especially among young teens. The conflict theory of social problems states that, society is marked by conflict due†¦show more content†¦The disappearance of decent paying manual work since the early 1970s leaves unskilled, uneducated individuals vulnerable to poverty. This is when selling drugs, an alternative to enduring grinding poverty, has been a commo n enough response as the income gap had widened. This has increased the violence and crime rate of society. The Functionalist Perspective in sociology states that everyone in the society holds a position and in this position their status has a set of roles or certain behaviors that are required to perform the tasks at hand (Kornblum and Julian, 2004.) The roles consist of nurses at the medical institutions, lawyers at international firms or just a blue collar worker at any type of factory. For the most part, each status role is involved in an institution of some kind and is needed for the economy and society to function as a whole. The Functionalist Perspective looks at the way major social instructions like the family, military, the health-care system, and the police and courts actually operate (Kornblum and Julian, 2004, 6.) This basically means that for these institutions that are needed to fulfill these roles and duties for the economy, the roles and behaviors of employees need to evolve as a whole so that the institution can function (Kornblum and Julian, 2004.) For example, a nurse n eeds to know certain things about her job like what medicine can treat a certainShow MoreRelatedChemically Impaired Nurses1052 Words   |  5 Pagesto twenty percent of practicing nurses have substance abuse problems. Substance abuse is defined as using excessive amounts of drugs or alcohol beyond their specified purpose. I chose to research this particular social problem because it concerns me that so many individuals are choosing to enter the nursing field to specifically help or care for the well-being of others, but are putting lives in danger by working under the influence of drugs and alcohol. 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Sociology includes three major theoretical perspectives: the structural-functionalist perspective, the conflict perspective, and theRead MoreCj415 Final Exam1716 Words   |  7 Pagesto be legitimate income that can the used for legal purposes such as investment and purchase, is an example of: bank fraud drug trafficking money laundering corruption 2 points Question 5 The movement of mood altering substances from their points of origin to their points of consumption is an example of: drug trafficking drug laundering drug distribution corruption 2 points Question 6 Although not in itself a crime, buying a legal business may be deemed ________Read MoreHealth Problems That Are Labeled As Social Problem1286 Words   |  6 PagesHealth problems that are labeled as social problems, affects the physical, mental health, and impact communities and society as a whole. 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