Drug Abuse in The Caribbean

What is a drug?

A chemical substance, such as a narcotic or hallucinogen, that affects the central nervous system, causing changes in behavior and often addiction.

What is drug abuse?

According to Anderson (1988), drug abuse is sociologically defined as:

(1) a pattern of regular and heavy use over a significant period of time,

(2) a set of drug related problems (at work, or with interpersonal relationships, one’s

own health, and formal social control agencies)

(3) previous and failed attempts to terminate drug consumption, and self-awareness as

having a drug problem.

Substance Abuse in the Caribbean

The first thing to note in understanding the theoretical explanations of drug abuse is that all perspectives view drug use and abuse as deviance which disrupts the society.

Substance abuse is an issue which is not limited to the Caribbean but is faced by the entire world and according to Mustapha (2013) “the escalation of this is mainly among teenagers and young adults who as a result suffer from health problems and also this causes socio-economic problems.” This shows that society is affected by the actions of its members.

Drug Abuse in The Caribbean

Functionalists

Perspective

The structural functionalists see drug abuse as deferring from the manner in which society operates and as such disrupts the social order and control which would be present as a result of conformity which is one of the main positions of this theory.

Marxists Perspective

Functionalists

Perspective

They believe that there is no consensus and no conformity. This group of theorists like the structural functionalists, explores on a macro level which means that its scope is not individualistic but on a societal level. They say that drug abuse is as a result of alienation of the proletariat from the bourgeois as well as the inequality materially and in materially.

They believe that deviance is labeled based on society’s perception of the action. Drug abuse is no exception. The theory states that society chooses which drugs are legal and which are not and therefore taking the ones which are deemed illegal are seen as acts of deviance and consequences have to be faced by those deviants.

Negative Effects of Drug Abuse

• economic challenges which could become evident by high levels of unemployment, poverty, weak institutional framework and systems, weak law enforcement capacity, outdated legislation, gaps in the judiciary system and even inadequate or inappropriate technology.
• Unsatisfaction- Never satisfied...Need more and more and more and more and more. This leads persons to go extenuating circumstances to get this "more".
• Hallucinations
• Risking Life.
• Deterioration of family life and values, greed, stress, and inadequate life and social skills to deal with problems.
• Addiction and dependence. Studies prove that the younger a person is when they begin using drugs the more likely they are to develop a substance abuse problem and relapse later in life.

Group Members:

Abigail Francis

Lorianne Edwards

Morika Eccleston

Sheneka Abbot

Renisha Daley

Impacts of Drug Abuse

Positive Effects of Drug Abuse

• One positive impact could be the shift of focus from getting the substance off the street to finding its medical uses and exploiting them. The drug being marijuana. With such high substance abuse of marijuana it is hard to get it off the street. Exploiting its medical uses could not only be a means of bringing in foreign exchange into a country but also finding alternative treatments to certain diseases

• Another example is the drug Ketamine: Also called "Special K," this animal tranquilizer is sometimes used as a recreational drug by attendees at dance raves and other events. The drug may also effectively combat the symptoms of depression.

The attendant consequences are varied and complex. Such use is often associated with a plethora of medical, psychological and social problems . Drug Abuse has both negative and positive impacts on the Caribbean and its peoples.

Statistics

Research shows that the prevalence of problem drug-use is significant in both high and low income countries. In 2001, a national household study in Jamaica found that 5.9% of the population or 92 800 persons had alcohol-related problems; 7.9% or 124 000 persons had drug-related problems while 11.9% or 187 100 persons had either alcohol, drug related problems or both

Source: National household survey of drug use and abuse in Jamaica. The National Council on Drug Abuse 2001.