Drug Abuse In American Culture

Deviant behavior has no agreed upon definition; however, the vast majority of sociologist agree that deviant behavior is a violation of any social rule (Fryer, Heaton, Levitt, and Murphy, 2006). One social rule American culture has embraced is the rejection of illegal drug use. According to a 2012 Pew Research study showed that 87% of Americans view the current drug culture in America either as a serious problem or a crisis (Motel, 2014). There are many illegal drugs viewed as taboo in American society; including, but not limited to, ecstasy, heroin, inhalants, bath salts, spice, cocaine, meth, and crack. In addition, there are legal drugs that can often lead to abuse, such as, alcohol, tobacco, and prescription drugs. Crack cocaine is
A process can be applied to the cocaine which then turns cocaine to a crystal rock, crack cocaine, or crack, making it one of the purest forms of cocaine. Crack cocaine get its name from the cracking sound it makes during the process of smoking the ‘rock’. This process of transforming cocaine makes crack cocaine one of the most highly addictive drug available on the streets today (Agar, 2003). Cocaine is usually snorted through the nostrils and the effects, or high, will begin within 8-10 minutes of ingestion; however crack can be smoked from a pipe or free based out of a spoon, and a user can receive effects from the drug immediately. The immediate effects are enlarged pupils, glassy eyes, and euphoria. Crack has many symptoms for both short term and long term users, such
One reason for the epidemic spread of crack cocaine in the inner cities is because crack cocaine was available and cheap. Smoking crack cocaine produces an intense, immediate, although shorter high, as compared to cocaine; making crack cocaine highly addictive, and cheap. Crack cocaine could be purchased at any corner for $10 a ‘rock’, while cocaine was considered a rich man’s drug, or a luxury. In addition, dealing crack cocaine during tough economic times, it offered a lucrative income to many inner city males (Agar, 2003). The Reagan Administration had pulled funding for many vital social programs and there was a direct impact, economically, within the underprivileged urban areas. Crack cocaine brought poverty, female head-of-households, and high crime rates to many inner cities in