Social Conflict Theory

Introducing a Social Problem
One of the most significant social problems in the United States since World War II has been the abuse of illegal drugs. Under the federal law, there are many drugs that are illegal, ranging from mind-affecting drugs, for example marijuana, strong highly addictive drugs, such as heroin or crack cocaine. The top four most dangerous highly addictive drugs are Heroin, Crack cocaine, Crystal meth, and Bath salts. Heroin along with the other drugs, is an opioid drug made from morphine, a natural substance taken from the seed pod of the Asian opium poppy plant, heroin is very deadly when you take too much. When People use these drugs they inject, snort, or smoke heroin. Some people mix heroin with crack cocaine, called

Conflict theory points out that marginalized groups in society are more likely to be targeted for substance abuse violations than the dominant class or groups. From the perspective of social conflict theory, the abuse of substances is primarily a problem of structural inequality and class conflict. While substance abuse is generally omnipresent throughout society, social conflict theory argues that minorities, the lower class and other marginalized groups are more likely to disproportionately suffer negative consequences as a result of substance abuse. For instance, it is commonly believed that poor communities and racial minorities suffer from higher numbers of drug use, although some studies have shown that substance abuse is just as prolific in rich, predominantly white communities. The Drug use occurs in response to inequalities perpetuated by capitalism: Individuals turn to drugs as a means of escaping oppression and

Of the types of drug-related violence identified by Goldstein and colleagues, economic-compulsive violence is apparently most likely to be reduced by treatment. The primary goal of treatment is to eliminate drug dependence, and economic-compulsive violence most directly reflects dependence on expensive drugs like heroin,crack and more. Psychopharmacological violence is more closely associated with abuse of alcohol than the use of illicit