Many examples of Reinarman's article on drug scares can be found in Reefer Madness. The "construction" of drug use is also discussed in the Goode text.
Consider this film, the Reinerman readings, and other evidence from your own research and experience about "scare tactics" relating to the prohibition of illicit drugs at the national level.
Please refer to each of the following in a TOTAL 750+ word primary response, informed by the literature, including citations and references to the text and other scholarly literature.
Has marijuana use proven to be as harmful as this film would have us believe?
Define "drug."
Why are both "essentialistic" (or "objectivistic") and "constructionist" (or "subjective") definitions relevant to a sociological consideration of drug use?
Discuss some of the social changes, both nationally and worldwide, that have facilitated or discouraged drug use. While very different than what we see in the film, many of the same tactics are used. How has drug use continued to be socially constructed? Provide examples.
How do recent efforts to redefine marijuana as a "medicine" fit this pattern of social construction?
We know that pharmaceutical medicines can be far more dangerous than many "illegal" drugs. In contrast to elicit drugs, why are these "legal" drugs socially acceptable? Is this changing?
a 750+ word primary response, using APA style citations and references,