Drugs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Drugs - Essay Example Further the report states that prolonged drug abuse can lead to participation in crime. Most crimes are committed when the criminal in under the influence of drugs or needs funds for drugs. College students remain vulnerable because of crime which is perpetrated under the influence of drugs. Half of the sexual assaults that occur on campus are by people influenced by drugs. Drugs have known to change the personality of people as normal and calm people can become irrational under the influence. This paper analyzes the psychological and sociological basis of drug abuse. Sociology attempts to answer the phenomenon of drug abuse by using three perspectives. The first theory is known as the conflict perspective which states that society is a continuous state of change which results in competition. Another perspective is that of functionalism which says that society consists of segments which are linked with each other and serve a function (Campo, 2005). The final perspective of sociology is about symbolic interactionism which studies about the affect of society on the individual. The conflict theory postulates that drug abuse is more rampant in poor areas because marginalized communities do not have legitimate means to earn money. They are forced to sell drugs to earn a good living. The functional theory believes that drug abuse occurs because they provide an escape for people who cannot cope with the harsh realities of life. Drug abuse creates jobs for people who do not have the necessary skills required in a legal work force. Symbolic interactionist s believe that an individual may become a drug abuser because of labels which denied them the opportunities. The individual in this case had to resort to drugs to survive. Conflict theory further states that drug abuse creates opportunities for lawmakers to exploit the poor (Devlin, 2006). Functionalists would point out that drug abuse creates more jobs for people in the field of law enforcement. It also creates