According to Erich Goode in Drugs in American Society, what is the difference between the “essentialist approach” and the “social constructionist approach” to the study of drugs? How do they differ in terms of their understanding of what a drug is? Why is it useful to understand drugs from a social constructionist perspective?

1. According to Erich Goode in Drugs in American Society, what is the difference between the “essentialist approach” and the “social constructionist approach” to the study of drugs? How do they differ in terms of their understanding of what a drug is? Why is it useful to understand drugs from a social constructionist perspective?

1. According to Eric Goode, the term “drug” means something different when used in different social contexts. What are the three main social contexts he discusses? What are the possible socially biases associated with the definition of a drug in each social context?

1. We learned about two different theories of drug addiction: classical addiction, drug dependence. What are these two theories? How does each explain the key causes of addiction? What is the most appropriate policy response of government implied by each theory?

1. According to authors Anne Case and Angus Deaton, what are “deaths of despair”? Which social groups experience deaths of despair at the highest rates in the U.S.?

1. According to authors Anne Case and Angus Deaton, which group bears the most responsibility for the “epidemic” of opioid deaths? Why?

1. In their chapter, “The Contingent Call of the Pipe,” sociologist Craig Reinarman and his co-authors argue that crack “addiction” is different than crack “binging.” What is the difference between binging and addiction? What is different about the social lives of bingers and addicts?

1. In his article, “Becoming a Marihuana User,” sociologist Howard Becker argues one’s propensity to become a regular marihuana user depends upon three factors. What are those factors (explain each)? How are these factors influenced by the micro-sociological context of use?

1. According to sociologist Joseph Gusfield, why has drinking alcohol come to symbolize all of the passage from work to leisure? Who benefits from this patterning of alcohol consumption and why?

1. According to sociologist Peter Conrad, there are two types of medicalization: of “deviant behavior” and of “normal behavior.”  Explain each of these two types with examples and then explain why each raises issues of how and why medicalization is a social rather than simply medical process.