SOLUTIONS for
TU
Drugs, Society and Criminal Justice,
5th edition
Author (s): Charles F. Levinthal, Lori Brusman-Lovins
VI
A
A
PP
R
O
VE
D
??
, Chapter 1
Understanding the Drug Problem in America
TU
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
Chapter one covers the impact of drugs and drug-taking behavior on society. Definitions related
to drugs, drug use, and drug dependence are provided. The problem of drug toxicity is explored,
including hospital visits related to drug use, as well as drug-related deaths. The latest statistics on
the prevalence of drug use in the United States are presented, including use among secondary
VI
school and college-aged students. Finally, accessibility of drugs via the Internet is discussed as a
growing avenue for individuals to access illicit substances.
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
A
Upon chapter completion, students should have an understanding of:
• The impact of drug-taking behavior on society and society on drug-taking behavior
• Definitions and distinctions regarding drugs and drug use
• The problem of drug toxicity
A
• Drug-related hospital emergencies and drug-related deaths
• Prevalence rates for drug use in the United States
• Illicit drug accessibility through Internet Web sites known as the “Dark Web”
PP
LECTURE OUTLINE
A. Understanding Drugs and Society
• There are two ways of looking at the relationship between drugs and society: the impact
of our society on drug-taking behavior and the impact of drug-taking behavior on society.
R
• The biopsychosocial model considers a combination of biological, psychological, and
sociological risk factors in a person’s life to help explain drug-taking behavior.
• Psychoactive drugs influence a person’s feelings, thoughts, perceptions, and behaviors.
O
Psychoactive drugs receive the greatest amount of attention because they are usually illicit
drugs with criminal sanctions for selling, possessing, and using. Some examples are:
Ecstasy, LSD, PCP, methamphetamine (Meth), heroin, cocaine, ketamine, and GHB.
B. Definitions and Distinctions
VE
• A drug can be defined as a chemical substance, that when taken into the body, alters the
structure or functioning of the body in some way. Not all psychoactive drugs are illicit
(illegal). Drugs like alcohol, nicotine, and certain prescription medicines are licit (legal),
but are still considered “drugs.” Differentiating a drug from a non-drug is a challenge.
• Instrumental drug use involves drug use with a socially approved purpose or goal (beyond
getting high). Examples include to fall asleep or recover from an illness. Recreational use
D
involves drug use with the goal of getting “high.”
• Drug misuse typically involves cases where use is instrumental, but the drug is used
inappropriately (e.g. at a higher dosage or for a longer period). Drug abuse is applied to
situations where the person experiences negative consequences from drug use. Drug
?
dependence is when an individual has a compulsive need to continue taking a drug, and
, may experience physical signs of dependence (tolerance or withdrawal symptoms). The
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) is currently used to
diagnose substance use disorders.
TU
C. The Problem of Drug Toxicity
• Drug toxicity is the physical or psychological harm that a drug might present to the user.
Acute toxicity is when there is an immediate or short-term effect from the drug.
• Dose-response curve is an S-shaped graph showing the increasing probability of a certain
drug effect as the dose rises. The effective dose (ED) is the minimal dose of a drug that is
necessary to produce the intended effect of the drug in a given percentage of the
population. A lethal dose (LD) is the minimal dose of a drug that is capable of producing
VI
death in a given percentage of the population.
• Therapeutic index is a measure of a drug’s relative safety for use, computed as the ratio of
the lethal dose for 50 percent of the population to the effective dose for 50 percent of the
population.
A
• Margin of safety is the ratio of a lethal dose for 1 percent of the population to the effective
dose for 99 percent of the population.
D. Drug-Related Hospital Emergencies
• Statistics for drug-related emergency-department (ED) visits are recorded each year. They
vary considerably from year to year, representing a “snapshot” of problems in drug-taking
A
behavior during that period.
• In the 1980s, cocaine and crack-cocaine abuse was dominant, in the 1990s and 2000s,
methamphetamines were of most concern. Today, the focus is on heroin and other
PP
opioids.
• Heroin and other opioids accounted for 84 percent of ED visits for drug overdose in 2015.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2018 that opioid overdose ED
visits increase 30 percent from 2016 to 2017, 60 percent during this period in the
Midwest.
• The vast majority of drug-related ED visits continues to be associated with excessive
R
alcohol consumption.
E. Drug-Related Deaths
• Presently, an overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States and the
O
leading cause of death among Americans under the age of 50. Around 2/3 of overdose
deaths in 2017 were from opioids.
• The most significant factor escalating opioid overdoses is the sharp increase in fentanyl
use.
VE
• Acute toxicity involves drug overdoses, but chronic toxicity is important to understand as
it explores physical or psychological harm drug use may cause over an extended period of
time.
F. Prevalence Rates of Drug Use in the United States
• Comprehensive reports on the prevalence of drug use among Americans across the
lifespan can be drawn from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH),
D
where individuals self-report their drug use.
• Reports on prevalence rates specifically among secondary school students, college
students, and young adults are issued on an annual basis through the Monitoring the
?
Future (MTF) program. The University of Michigan oversees this program and launched
the first survey in 1975.
, • MTF questions are phrased in four ways: whether the individual has used drugs in his or
her lifetime, over the past year, within the past 30 days, and on a daily basis during the
previous 30 days. The survey therefore distinguishes between experimental use and
TU
chronic use.
• The greatest number of current illicit drug users falls between the ages of 15 and 18.
Marijuana users account for about 84 percent of the total number of illicit drug users in
the United States.
G. The Problem of Drug Accessibility through the Internet
• A major challenge for law enforcement is the easy and anonymous accessibility to illicit
drugs through the Internet.
VI
• Internet transactions often occur through the “Dark Web,” with difficult-to-trace
currencies, such as bitcoins, and drugs delivered through the ordinary mail.
• When one Internet drug marketplace goes down, there are a great number of other sites to
take its place.
A
Teaching Tip: Continual updating of statistical information about drug-related emergency cases
in the United States can be accessed through the following Web sites:
https://nsduhweb.rti.org/respweb/homepage.cfm
http://monitoringthefuture.org/
A
LIST OF CHANGES/TRANSITION GUIDE
Omitted:
PP
• Social Messages About Drugs
• The DAWN Reports
Added or adapted:
• Understanding Drugs and Society
R
• Definitions and Distinctions
• Drug-Related Hospital Emergencies
• Drug-Related Deaths
O
• Prevalence Rates of Drug Use in the United States
ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS AND CLASS ACTIVITIES
VE
• Assign students to find an article in a newspaper, magazine, or on the Internet relating to
some form of licit or illicit drug-taking behavior. They can discuss it in class, write their
reactions to the article, or make a presentation, centered on the impact the article might have
on their lives. Some examples include reports of new recreational drugs that are ordinarily
used on a medicinal basis (Ritalin, Adderall, OxyContin), steroids and other performance-
enhancing drugs in sports, or economic issues related to prescription drug use among the
elderly.
D
• The listing of celebrities who have died under drug-related circumstances doesn’t include
those cases in which the contributing reason was the consumption of alcohol or tobacco.
Assign students to research one or two instances in which a well-known person has died from
?
the toxic effects of these two products (acute or chronic toxicity in the case of alcohol, chronic
TU
Drugs, Society and Criminal Justice,
5th edition
Author (s): Charles F. Levinthal, Lori Brusman-Lovins
VI
A
A
PP
R
O
VE
D
??
, Chapter 1
Understanding the Drug Problem in America
TU
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
Chapter one covers the impact of drugs and drug-taking behavior on society. Definitions related
to drugs, drug use, and drug dependence are provided. The problem of drug toxicity is explored,
including hospital visits related to drug use, as well as drug-related deaths. The latest statistics on
the prevalence of drug use in the United States are presented, including use among secondary
VI
school and college-aged students. Finally, accessibility of drugs via the Internet is discussed as a
growing avenue for individuals to access illicit substances.
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
A
Upon chapter completion, students should have an understanding of:
• The impact of drug-taking behavior on society and society on drug-taking behavior
• Definitions and distinctions regarding drugs and drug use
• The problem of drug toxicity
A
• Drug-related hospital emergencies and drug-related deaths
• Prevalence rates for drug use in the United States
• Illicit drug accessibility through Internet Web sites known as the “Dark Web”
PP
LECTURE OUTLINE
A. Understanding Drugs and Society
• There are two ways of looking at the relationship between drugs and society: the impact
of our society on drug-taking behavior and the impact of drug-taking behavior on society.
R
• The biopsychosocial model considers a combination of biological, psychological, and
sociological risk factors in a person’s life to help explain drug-taking behavior.
• Psychoactive drugs influence a person’s feelings, thoughts, perceptions, and behaviors.
O
Psychoactive drugs receive the greatest amount of attention because they are usually illicit
drugs with criminal sanctions for selling, possessing, and using. Some examples are:
Ecstasy, LSD, PCP, methamphetamine (Meth), heroin, cocaine, ketamine, and GHB.
B. Definitions and Distinctions
VE
• A drug can be defined as a chemical substance, that when taken into the body, alters the
structure or functioning of the body in some way. Not all psychoactive drugs are illicit
(illegal). Drugs like alcohol, nicotine, and certain prescription medicines are licit (legal),
but are still considered “drugs.” Differentiating a drug from a non-drug is a challenge.
• Instrumental drug use involves drug use with a socially approved purpose or goal (beyond
getting high). Examples include to fall asleep or recover from an illness. Recreational use
D
involves drug use with the goal of getting “high.”
• Drug misuse typically involves cases where use is instrumental, but the drug is used
inappropriately (e.g. at a higher dosage or for a longer period). Drug abuse is applied to
situations where the person experiences negative consequences from drug use. Drug
?
dependence is when an individual has a compulsive need to continue taking a drug, and
, may experience physical signs of dependence (tolerance or withdrawal symptoms). The
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) is currently used to
diagnose substance use disorders.
TU
C. The Problem of Drug Toxicity
• Drug toxicity is the physical or psychological harm that a drug might present to the user.
Acute toxicity is when there is an immediate or short-term effect from the drug.
• Dose-response curve is an S-shaped graph showing the increasing probability of a certain
drug effect as the dose rises. The effective dose (ED) is the minimal dose of a drug that is
necessary to produce the intended effect of the drug in a given percentage of the
population. A lethal dose (LD) is the minimal dose of a drug that is capable of producing
VI
death in a given percentage of the population.
• Therapeutic index is a measure of a drug’s relative safety for use, computed as the ratio of
the lethal dose for 50 percent of the population to the effective dose for 50 percent of the
population.
A
• Margin of safety is the ratio of a lethal dose for 1 percent of the population to the effective
dose for 99 percent of the population.
D. Drug-Related Hospital Emergencies
• Statistics for drug-related emergency-department (ED) visits are recorded each year. They
vary considerably from year to year, representing a “snapshot” of problems in drug-taking
A
behavior during that period.
• In the 1980s, cocaine and crack-cocaine abuse was dominant, in the 1990s and 2000s,
methamphetamines were of most concern. Today, the focus is on heroin and other
PP
opioids.
• Heroin and other opioids accounted for 84 percent of ED visits for drug overdose in 2015.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2018 that opioid overdose ED
visits increase 30 percent from 2016 to 2017, 60 percent during this period in the
Midwest.
• The vast majority of drug-related ED visits continues to be associated with excessive
R
alcohol consumption.
E. Drug-Related Deaths
• Presently, an overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States and the
O
leading cause of death among Americans under the age of 50. Around 2/3 of overdose
deaths in 2017 were from opioids.
• The most significant factor escalating opioid overdoses is the sharp increase in fentanyl
use.
VE
• Acute toxicity involves drug overdoses, but chronic toxicity is important to understand as
it explores physical or psychological harm drug use may cause over an extended period of
time.
F. Prevalence Rates of Drug Use in the United States
• Comprehensive reports on the prevalence of drug use among Americans across the
lifespan can be drawn from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH),
D
where individuals self-report their drug use.
• Reports on prevalence rates specifically among secondary school students, college
students, and young adults are issued on an annual basis through the Monitoring the
?
Future (MTF) program. The University of Michigan oversees this program and launched
the first survey in 1975.
, • MTF questions are phrased in four ways: whether the individual has used drugs in his or
her lifetime, over the past year, within the past 30 days, and on a daily basis during the
previous 30 days. The survey therefore distinguishes between experimental use and
TU
chronic use.
• The greatest number of current illicit drug users falls between the ages of 15 and 18.
Marijuana users account for about 84 percent of the total number of illicit drug users in
the United States.
G. The Problem of Drug Accessibility through the Internet
• A major challenge for law enforcement is the easy and anonymous accessibility to illicit
drugs through the Internet.
VI
• Internet transactions often occur through the “Dark Web,” with difficult-to-trace
currencies, such as bitcoins, and drugs delivered through the ordinary mail.
• When one Internet drug marketplace goes down, there are a great number of other sites to
take its place.
A
Teaching Tip: Continual updating of statistical information about drug-related emergency cases
in the United States can be accessed through the following Web sites:
https://nsduhweb.rti.org/respweb/homepage.cfm
http://monitoringthefuture.org/
A
LIST OF CHANGES/TRANSITION GUIDE
Omitted:
PP
• Social Messages About Drugs
• The DAWN Reports
Added or adapted:
• Understanding Drugs and Society
R
• Definitions and Distinctions
• Drug-Related Hospital Emergencies
• Drug-Related Deaths
O
• Prevalence Rates of Drug Use in the United States
ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS AND CLASS ACTIVITIES
VE
• Assign students to find an article in a newspaper, magazine, or on the Internet relating to
some form of licit or illicit drug-taking behavior. They can discuss it in class, write their
reactions to the article, or make a presentation, centered on the impact the article might have
on their lives. Some examples include reports of new recreational drugs that are ordinarily
used on a medicinal basis (Ritalin, Adderall, OxyContin), steroids and other performance-
enhancing drugs in sports, or economic issues related to prescription drug use among the
elderly.
D
• The listing of celebrities who have died under drug-related circumstances doesn’t include
those cases in which the contributing reason was the consumption of alcohol or tobacco.
Assign students to research one or two instances in which a well-known person has died from
?
the toxic effects of these two products (acute or chronic toxicity in the case of alcohol, chronic
