The Social Construction of Drugs and Drug Users

Please answer four of the following questions to the best of your ability. Each response
should be 1-2 paragraphs long, typed, double-spaced, and with no grammatical or spelling
errors. No late papers will be accepted. Each question will be worth 5 points, adding up to
20 points in total. [Monday (2/7) – Upload to the canvas site by no later than 5 PM]
1. According to Erich Goode in Drugs in American Society, what is the difference between
the “essentialist approach” and the “social constructionist approach” to the study of
drugs? How do they differ in terms of their understanding of what a drug is and how it
influences the consumption of users?
2. According to Eric Goode, the term “drug” means something different when used in
different social contexts. What are the three main social contexts he discusses? How do
the differences in meaning draw attention to the social construction of the term “drug”?
3. We learned about three different theories of drug addiction. What are these three
theories? How do they differ in terms of what the causes of addiction are (Explain and
clarify each)? What is the most appropriate response of government implied by each
theory?
4. In their chapter, “The Contingent Call of the Pipe,” sociologist Craig Reinarman and his
co-authors argue that crack “addiction” is different than crack “binging.” What is the
difference between binging and addiction? What is different about the social lives of
bingers and addicts?

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