The Social Construction of Drug Use: Mobilizing Harm Reduction Practices for Functional Drug Use

• In Event: Harm Reduction? Reducing Overdoses and Other Drug-Related Harms

Abstract

Societal pressures and expectations dominate human interactions, and the mass media influences viewpoints and instigates disproportionate fears, especially surrounding drugs and drug use. Social constructions reflect the principles and values of a society. Drugs have been socially constructed as an “epidemic” threatening the progression and success of society. The problem with drugs and drug use is centred around the substance’s addictive properties, the “extreme” social costs associated with drug use, and the criminogenic aspect related to drugs in general. Nonetheless, these problems can also be the explanations for drug use and drugs fostering them as essential tools for people as they navigate the demands of society. The criminogenic aspect of drugs is a social construction based on who drug users are in correlation to the conceptualization of drugs themselves. This presentation will address functional drug use and harm reduction practices as a mechanism to reducing societal stereotypes and expectations surrounding drug use and individuals who use drugs. This presentation aims to delineate harm reduction practices from criminogenic aspects associated with drug use.

Author

• Megan Bailey, Carleton University