Summary of Reinarman, C (2009 ). The social construction of drug scares PDF

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Summary

Explains Moral Panic as a concept and uses examples of the drug scares that occurred within the USA, such as Marijuana linked African Americans and profiling of different races based on drugs used....

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The below essay is a summary of Reinarman, C (2009). The social construction of drug scares Drug scare Introduction– Reinarman states that drug misuse and consequences associated with them is a constant fear driver among society and in his whole case study he seeks to unravel what is , what causes and how it is all associated with deviance as a whole. He stresses that the reason one becomes an addict is of grave important to the understanding of drug scare. He then goes further to explain that in the U.S laws to abolish many drugs have been met with resistance and impossibility to enforce and carry out

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Moral panicHe believes that drug scares are a way of enforcing moral panic unto people -Manipulation of people’s minds Drug scare used to divert thoughts from real problems Labelling of Immigrants as deviants Exaggeration of problems created by alcohol consumption To enhance moral panic it lead to the introduction of the first drug law

Moral entrepreneurs 

Moral entrepreneurs labelled immigrants as t cause social deviance in relation to drinking. That they were the ones who were stubborn and an issue of cultural difference led further into this

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To further create this moral panic there was focus on different nationalities whom were not natives for example Chinese people were labelled low wage coolies, strongly dislikes=d and because of their own drug of choice which wasn’t really common to the American which lead to The prohibition of the Mongolian vice ND OTHER DRUGS AS IT WAS NOW CASUING AN ADDICT PROBLEM’ Blacks were labelled as rapers of white women when under the influence of cocaine, these unrealistic and racial slays where spread by journalist facilized by crusaders Mexica American were also targeted for Marijuana which was labelled as a killer drug and like blacks was associated with negative behaviour LSD also similar to Marijuana was claimed to alienate families and even scientist where caught in this political- socio ground filled with propaganda and gave what seemed to be scientific proof of this behaviour in youths and association to LSD All this was a diversion to the real problems that were happening in each specific timeline like the great depression, the industrial revolution and gold mining eras coming with major problems than drugs

RACISM

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7 REASONS  

Kennel of truth which states that people have been consuming chemicals ever since beginning of time without many consequences Media Magnification which gave the worst case scenarios of drugs as compared to the minor effects they truly have

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Politico Moral Entrepreneurs which shows that political leaders which political power have the power to manipulate people and use many factors to seem as if they have care and concern to win their campaigns and to divert situations to harsh realities happening Professional Interest groups whom are only spread the news for their own monetary value and career advancement e.g. pharmaceuticals Historical context conflict which is associated and fuelled by cultural anxiety, conflicts hatred and class systems Linking a form of drug use to dangerous class – groups being defined according to their consumption of drugs and not how toxic the drug is or how it becomes toxic after human consumption Scapegoating which is blaming of problems and human mistakes and social evil on drugs and their effects labelled as the main cause of these evils.

Scapegoating    

Alcohol was blamed for economic misfortune and interpreting the presence of it as the main cause of lack of prosperity and its eradication leads to that prosperity The absence of LSD would lead to harmony between teens and their parents Elites put stress on drugs as the main cause of societal problems and dysfunction labelling those who partake in their consumption as deviants However drug scares do not feature in other countries....