Philosophy 103-Drug and Alcohol Use

Chemicals that enter the bloodstream and are easily transported to the brain, where they alter the way we feel with predictable results

a behavioral pattern of drug use, characterized by overwhelming involvement with the use of drug (compulsive use), the securing of its supply, and a high tendency to relapse after withdrawal

the temperance movement of the late sixteenth and early twentieth centuries was spearheaded by WCTU. They opposed drinking primarily because of its destructive effects on families.

In 1919 the 18th Amendment outlawed the sale and consumption of alcohol. In 1920s consumption inclined and ushered in an era of organized crime and vast illegal liquor trade (bootlegging) under control of notorious gangsters such as Al Capone. Trying to stamp out illegal activity soared into the millions of dollars.

Depressant (Drowsiness and Sedation)

Stimulants (Alertness, a sense of power, enhanced performance)

Opiates (Diminished or no pain; sense of euphoria)

Opiates (Diminished or no pain; sense of euphoria)

Canada: (2001) Medical Marijuana is legal, Decriminalization of marijuana possession so small time users do not face criminal offenses (2003) USA: Medical Marijuana is legal in 15 states

~Cocaine is 2nd most popular illicit drug. White males are twice as likely to use as blacks, Hispanic, Native Americans. ~African Americans are more likely to use heroin. Heroin offenses receive much more severe legal penalties than cocaine or alcohol-related crimes blacks bear a disproportionate burden with respect to enforcement of drug laws. ~Blacks are also more likely than whites to receive convictions for similar drug-related offenses

~Poor concentration, lower grade-point average, health risks. ~Binge drinking is related to violence, homicide, rape, brawls, vandalism, burglary ~about half of all date rapes ~casual factor in suicide

~Had little effects on the behaviors of college students ~Binge Drinking ~Frats and Sororities are at the highest risk for excessive drinking bc it is viewed as acceptable

views addiction primarily as an individuals medical problem rather than a social or moral problem. ~Not a lack of willpower or moral character that separates addicts ~Is a pathological state ~An addict is ill ~People who harm others or break the law under influence should be treated not punished ~AA

Is a freely chosen vice ~Overcoming addiction is simply a matter of willpower ~Alcoholism is a sin ~Accepting moral responsibility for one's actions is a key part in recovery ~People who harm others while under the influence should be held responsible for their actions and be punished

~Rejects the disease model of addiction ~People who are drunk are \"acting in ignorance\" ~Addicts give up their essential humanity by giving up control of their actions ~No sympathy ~Unlike a person who is involuntary ill, a drunk is responsible for his ignorance \"since it was open to him to refrain from getting drunk\" ~Not Object to moderate use

~Opposed ~Morally failing ~\"When a person drinks he becomes intoxicated, when he is intoxicated he raves, when he raves he falsely accuses\"

Categorical Imperative: We should never use ourselves as a means only. ~Addicts debase themselves by using themselves as a means only-to get a fix ~Addiction distracts us from our lives and relieves us of the burden, frustration, boredom, and the search for meaning in our lives (addiction becomes meaning of life) ~Prevent us from being fully human, therefore incompatible with human dignity ~As rational moral agents we are responsible for our actions and choices ~Disease model is problematic bc it places the burden of caring on the physician rather than the addict ~Passing of responsibility for our destructive and disrespectful behavior is inconsistent with human dignity and freedom

~Since drug are hard to obtain and illegal people become addicted ~Some drugs are more dangerous then others but some buildings are higher and more dangerous. In the case of drugs we regard their potentiality for self injury as regards for prohibition but not with building heights ~Every individual is capable of injuring or killing himself. This is a fundamental expression of human freedom. Therefore it is absurd to deprive an adult of a drug (or anything else) bc he might use it to kill himself ~To do so is to treat a person like a suicidal mental patient ~Accidental overdoses: When someone buys an illicit drug they can not be sure what they are getting. If the government was to monitor drug sales they drugs would be more pure ~In an open society it is none of the governments business what idea a man puts into his mind likewise it should not be the governments business what a man puts in his body

~The fear that free trade in narcotics would result in vast masses of the population spending their days and nights doing drugs is absurd ~habits of work and idleness are deep-seated in culture ~we can be held responsible for driving cars and operating computers but not on what we put in our bodies?

~We regard freedom of speech and religion as a fundamental right so we should also regard freedom to self-medicate as a fundamental right ~public intoxication or activities that are harmful to others should not be tolerated ~Responsible for harmful behavior to others ~Same laws as alcohol

~Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness; we do not deny someone the right to play golf or watch TV. So should we deny them a drug? ~If we take a drug and conduct ourselves appropriately and abide by all laws should we have the right to be unmolested by the government? ~If we take a drug and break the law should we be treated as a criminal rather than a patient with mental illness? ~John Stuart Mill

~intense effects; uninhibited, impulsive, hyper-sexual, compulsive, irritable, hyperactive, violent, homicidal ~Babies born whose mother have used crack. Baby can be deformed , brain damage, low cognitive abilities ~Tobacco shortens ones life, cocaine debases it. Tobacco alters ones habits cocaine alters ones soul. ~The heavy use of crack corrodes those natural sentiments of sympathy and duty that constitutes our human nature and make our social life possible. ~Distinguishing morally btw tobacco and cocaine is \"little more than a transient prejudice\"

~The notion that abusing drugs is a \"victimless crime\" is absurd and dangerous. Even ignoring the fetal drug syndrome crack dependent people are individuals who regularly victimize their children by neglect, their spouses by improvidence, their employers by lethargy, their coworkers by carelessness ~We all have a stake in ensuring that each of us displays a minimal level of dignity, responsibility, and empathy. We cannot coerce people into goodness but we can and should insist that some standards must be met

~People who enter a rehab program because the law requires them too stays in the program longer than those who do not ~Investing huge amount is drug education programs in schools