Preparation: Attend the H318 lecture on “hard” drugs on Wednesday, June 28th and read the articles “Predictors of disapproval toward ‘hard drug’ use…” and “Mortality associated with illegal drug use…”
Your Assignment:
There are a lot of reasons why an individual may decide to use a ‘hard’ drug. Something that often gets lost in investigating those reasons is the meaningful differentiation between different types of drug classes and categories. The article “Predictors,” for example, demonstrates that different characteristics (such as lifetime alcohol use) may predict approval/disapproval of some ‘hard’ drugs, but not others.
Using at least one quote or citation from the assigned readings, class lecture, or other peer-reviewed source, sketch out a theory as to why an individual might use one type of ‘hard’ drug over another. So, for example, why might one person choose to use heroin and another choose LSD? Your assignment should be approximately 800 words.
What You Need to Submit:
Along with your paper, you need to submit a reference (APA, MLA, or other format) if you choose to cite or quote documentation outside of the class lecture or readings. If you only cite/quote the lecture and assigned readings, in-text notation is adequate.
Grading:
Theory is well-structured and clear 50 points
Grammar/Spelling/Length 10 points
Hint: This prompt is not asking why people might use hard drugs ‘in general,’ or why they transition to hard drugs from something like alcohol. Instead, it is asking why individuals who use hard drugs select one or more classes of drugs instead of others.
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