Historique
Chapitre
Social fear, drug-related beliefs, and drug policy
Auteur(s) :
COOMBER, R.
Année :
2011
Page(s) :
15-31
Langue(s) :
Anglais
ISBN :
978-1-4094-0543-6
Domaine :
Drogues illicites / Illicit drugs
Thésaurus mots-clés
POLITIQUE
;
CROYANCE
;
ADULTERANT
;
REPRESENTATION SOCIALE
;
REVENDEUR
;
VIOLENCE
;
SOCIOLOGIE
;
DANGER
;
CULTUREL
;
MYTHE
Résumé :
While many of the authors in the first section of the book focus on the problems arising from the epidemiological or medicalized approaches to drug use, Coomber argues that the conceptualization of the drug problem is informed less by the science of pharmacology and more by "a number of resistant primary drug myths," which provide a framework of fear that informs policy responses. He identifies key myths about drugs and the drug markets, which operate as lynchpins to societal knowledge about drugs. These include the ideas of: drugs as dangerously adulterated; instant addiction; inherently violent drug sellers and markets; and predatory or evil drug pushers. Each of these myths are "mutually reinforcing" helping to support the others and contributing to each myth's resilience. Their resilience, however, comes not only from their mutually reinforcing nature it also arises from a notion of fear. These fears are not, as in the case of "risk society," solely new, and certainly not specifically postmodern. Instead, they are rooted in much older fears, for example the fear of drugs have often in the past been associated with the fear of "others" including foreigners or indigenous outsiders. Other examples include traditional notions of impurity and pollution. [From the book's introduction]
Affiliation :
Drug and Alcohol Research Unit, School of Social Science and Social Work, University of Plymouth, United Kingdom
Cote :
L01616