While the research proposal is meant to reflect the culmination of your efforts on the first three assignments, it should include all the components traditionally found in a written paper, including: A. Introduction - A Clear Statement of the Problem and/or Objective B. Review of Relevant Literature (expanded and detailed version of Assignment #1) C. Critical Review of the secondary data source - Understanding the Context of the Data Sampling - Selection, Procedure and Site Data Collection - Nature of the Data and Technique D. Statement of Research Question(s) and Empirical Indicators (expanded and detailed version of Assignment #2) E. Logic of Analysis F. Conclusion G. Works Cited ***My topic is on drug abuse in Canada. That is the main idea. 1. What is the definition of drug abuse.
This question will allow for the definition of drug abuse (illicit drug abuse vs prescriptive drug abuse) and how others define drug abuse.
The reason for this is that prescriptive drug abuse can be easily dismissed- for example someone who takes strong painkillers various times a day can be excused if he/she has a legitimate problem/disease. The period of time that one has been on any forms of drugs will also to help define drug abuse (recreational drug user vs daily drug user). By defining what is drug abuse, it will allow for a more accurate data to be used from the datasets provided. What I mean by that is for example the following dataset:
Past 12 months Any Illicit Drug Use (grouped variables - different combinations)
ANY12D12 Past 12 months use of any 12 drugs - including cannabis, cocaine, meth, speed, ecstasy, hallucinogens (incl. salvia),heroin, inhalants, other, pain relievers to get high, stimulants to get high, sedatives to get high
OR
NY11D12 Past 12 months use of any 11 drugs - excluding cannabis - including cocaine, meth, speed, ecstasy, hallucinogens (incl. salvia), heroin, inhalants, other, pain relievers to get high, stimulants to get high, sedatives to get high)
The difference is that the second dataset does not include cannabis whereas the first dataset does. Why is there a dataset that does not include cannabis but there is one dataset that does? Is it because it is a drug that cannot be abused or is it because attitudes are different towards those who use cannabis vs those who use other drugs such as cocaine for example? Thus, it is important that it is established what is defined as drug abuse and the period that an individual is on drugs to define drug abuse (as shown in the dataset, the data is from the past 12 months. Is 12 months
a reasonable amount of time to define drug abuse?).
2. What is the difference between prescription drug abuse and street/recreational drug abuse?
This question will attempt to look at the attitudes of others towards those who abuse prescriptive drugs and those who abuse illicit drugs.
Prescriptive drugs can be shrugged off because they come because of a doctor's prescription and that would mean that the person on those drugs has some kind of medical problem which is why the doctor (a trustworthy figure to the eyes of many) has prescribed that person with the relevant drugs. But illicit drug abuse to some can mean that the person is healthy and is on drugs based on his/her choice. However, what if prescriptive drugs are obtained through illegal means? Will the dangers of drug abuse be the same? Is there a difference in motive between prescriptive drug abuse and illicit drug abuse?
3. What are the reasons that lead people to use drugs?
What is the relationship between drug abuse and personal problems in individuals?
Questions 3 and 6 ( similar in nature )are important to the research because it will attempt to shed light on the reasons why people abuse drugs despite knowing the harms that drugs can do to someone. The number of people who are taking drugs has increased in Canada and in order to solve the problem, it is very important that the cause of the problem is identified. From the literature review, it is widely acknowledged that drug abuse is a problem and there are many forms of rehabilitative programs available to help addicts but it is hardly known what causes one to start taking drugs in the first place.
4. What rehabilitation programs are there for drug abusers and are they any helpful?
Despite the various rehabilitation programs, drug abuse remains a concern. It is important to find out if the programs really work for people or are they just a waste of resources. People might stay free of drugs once in a program but what about the time when they graduate from the program? What happens then? Do they go back to drugs?
5. Are doctors doing their job right?
This question will attempt to address the problems with prescriptive drug abuse which is becoming a major problem in the Canadian society. From my experience, it is easy to have legal access to strong painkillers especially if you are in the manual labor industry. But, should doctors just prescribe strong painkillers for someone who comes in with back pain every now and then rather than doing diagnostic imaging to check for the reason of the back pain? Can Health Canada do better in diagnostics (such as the time needed to wait for a MRI/CT scan, more specialists rather than general physicians dealing with specific diseases such as orthopedics).