The Sociology of American Drug Use

Thoroughly revised and updated in its third edition, The Sociology of American Drug Use presents a broader sociological perspective on drug use in American society than any other text. The authors, all sociologically trained criminologists, include extensive coverage of various methods and statistics for measuring drug use, a topic that is particularly relevant for sociology students.

The book opens with an examination of the construction of drug use as a social problem, setting the stage for the rest of the text. The first section addresses basic conceptual, methodological, and theoretical issues in the study of drug use, while the second section analyzes its various social correlates: demographic, institutional, health, economic, cultural and subcultural, and violent and criminal. The final section focuses on societal reaction to drug use, with discussions of prohibition, decriminalization, and legalization policy options and drug treatment, drug education, and drug testing.

New to the Third Edition

* Increased material on legal drugs, like salvia, and an expanded discussion of the recreational use of prescription drugs, including the misuse of such drugs as Adderall, OxyContin, and Vicodin among college students

* New and updated "Drug Controversies" boxes

* Updated information on the pharmaceutical industry and an expanded discussion of the drug approval process, with a new flowchart

* More in-depth discussion of cartels and the current drug violence along the U.S.-Mexican border

* Greater emphasis on cross-cultural issues and perspectives, including new material on crime and the American dream, drug trafficking to the U.S. and opium production in Afghanistan, and the European roots of harm reduction

* An expanded discussion of the role of the media and more material on family as a social institution

* An updated and streamlined glossary and bibliography

Charles E. Faupel is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Auburn University.

Greg S. Weaver is Associate Professor of Sociology at Auburn University.

Jay Corzine is Professor of Sociology at the University of Central Florida.

SECTION I: A SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACH TO DRUG USE

Chapter 1: The Sociological Study of Drug Use
Chapter 2: A Brief History of Drug Use and Drug Control in America
Chapter 3: Classifying Psychoactive Drugs
Chapter 4: Official and Unofficial Data Sources
Chapter 5: Theoretical Explanations for Drug Use and Addiction

SECTION II: SOCIAL CORRELATES OF DRUG USE

Chapter 6: Demographic Correlates of Drug Use
Chapter 7: Institutional Correlates of Drug Use
Chapter 8: Health Correlates of Drug Use
Chapter 9: Economic Correlates of Drug Use
Chapter 10: Cultural and Subcultural Correlates of Drug Use
Chapter 11: Violent and Criminal Correlates of Drug Use

SECTION III: SOCIETAL RESPONSE TO DRUG USE

Chapter 12: Preventive Responses to Drug Use
Chapter 13: Therapeutic Responses to Drug Problems
Chapter 14: Legal Responses to Drug Problems
Chapter 15: Drug Policy for the Twenty-First Century