SOCI3055A STUDIES IN ADDICTIONS January 30, 2007 Part II – Alcohol, drugs and other forms of addiction

Overview Readings:  Griffen, P., S. Endicott, S. Lambert (1991). “The Social Origins of Canadian Narcotic Drug Prohibition” in Panic and Indifference. The Politics of Canada’s Drug Laws. A Study in the Sociology of Law. Ottawa: Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse. pp  P. Jenkins (2003). “The Next Panic” in Drugs, Crime, & Justice. Contemporary Perspectives. Eds. L. Gaines and P. Kraska. Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc. pp  E. Goode (2003). “Alcohol and Tobacco. The Real Dangerous Drugs?” in Drugs, Crime, & Justice. Eds. L. Gaines and P. Kraska. Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc. pp

Class outline 1. January 23 class review – 2 minute paper 2. Carolyn Franklin, CCSA, Senior Advisor, National Framework Secretariat 3. Project groups 4. Continue from January 23 class: The epidemiology of alcohol and drugs Healing Our Spirit Worldwide Conference keynote speaker, Carol Hopkins

1. January 23 class review “Whether it is fair or just to criminalize the possession and sale of heroin and cocaine while keeping alcohol and tobacco legal is essentially unanswerable; it is a moralistic and ideological, not a sociological issue” (Goode, 390).

2. Carolyn Franklin, CCSA, Senior Advisor, National Framework Secretariat

3. Group work = Team work 1.Smoking (illicit drugs, tobacco) 2.Alcohol 3.Cocaine 4.Sex addiction 5.Caffeine 6.Safe injection facilities 7.Gambling 8.Mental health & substance abuse 9.Sex workers & drug use 10.Drug use among youth 11.Crystal meth

 “Past experience suggests that such an account would be accepted quite uncritically by the media, which views its role in such matters as essentially stenographic – recording the fact that a new drug epidemic is in progress and seeking to enhance the charges without critically examining whether they have the slightest validity. But if they ever did choose to apply a sceptical approach, critical observers would find grave flaws at every stage of the presentation” (Jenkins, 88).

4.Epidemilology of alcohol and drugs continuation  Women, girls and substance use  “There is no single point in a woman’s life when a discussion of substance use or abuse is not relevant. Each stage of life offers unique challenges that can lead to addiction” ( The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (2006).  Women, Girls and Substance Use 303D1B799C8F/0/ccsa pdf 303D1B799C8F/0/ccsa pdf

What the data tells us… ALCOHOL  Women and girls consume less alcohol and drink less frequently than men.  Patterns show a greater increase in past year use among women than men. PAST- YEAR USE NPHS NPHS 2004 CAS Female71.5%74.0%76.8% Male79.8%82.2%82.0%

8.9% of current female drinkers reported hazardous drinking in the past year. 7.1% of women reported at least one harm in the past year from their own drinking. 32.6% of women reported at least one harm in the past year from others’ drinking. Drinking during pregnancy  14.2% of children under 2 whose mothers were under 25 were exposed to some prenatal alcohol compared to 21.6% of children whose mothers were aged 35 and older ( NLSCY).

DRUG USE  39% of females reported using cannabis at some point in their lifetime.  10% of females reported using cannabis in the past year.  Women’s use of other drugs in their lifetime: Hallucinogens (7%), cocaine (7%), speed (4%), ecstasy (3%), inhalants (0.7%), IDU (0.6%), heroin (0.5%), steroids (--)  19.8% of women reported one or more harms from their drug use in their lifetime (not including cannabis) and 16.0% reported one or more harms due to their past-year use.

We need to consider….  Social attitudes about women and girls affect their substance use  Pathways to substance use are unique for girls and women  Health consequences of substance use differ for girls and women in comparison to males  Specific challenges faced by pregnant women and mothers who use substances  Trauma, violence and abuse are linked to substance use for girls and women

The 2004 United Nations report on Substance Abuse Treatment and Care for Women concluded that: “[e]ngaging and retaining pregnant and parenting women in treatment requires collaboration between the substance abuse treatment sectors or prenatal care and child welfare…Ideally, services should be accessed through a single site” (p. 56).

Healing Our Spirit Worldwide Conference keynote speaker, Carol Hopkins