Functionalist Theory On Drugs

Like every society, there are groups that are deemed good, and groups that are deemed bad. One would say it is important for both groups to be present in a society because it is the only way to ensure unity. Functionalist theorists can explain why the deviant group, drug addicts, are essential to maintaining the continuity of society. Although the deviant group does more harm than good, they can still be analyzed in a perspective that brings their behaviors and attitudes to light. When evaluating drug addicts, the sociological theory, functionalism, can explain how their deviant group fails to conform to different societal norms. Because drug addicts are considered a deviant group, they fail to conform to societal norms. Although, it is imperative for every society to have conflicts. This is what allows America to function. This theory could be studied by Functionalist, like Emile Durkheim. Drug addicts cause many problems within the country. Without them, functioning would be a whole lot harder. There would be no problems to solve. Functionalists examine the role certain groups play in society and how each group balances in society. Even though they still play a major role in modern day society, drug addicts still fail to conform to many societal norms. One

The war on drugs has brought up many questions. Some may argue that all drugs should be legalized. Legalizing drugs in the U.S. could possibly reduce the amount of addicts. Research suggests that, “But 400,000 policemen would be freed to pursue criminals engaged in activity other than the sale and distribution of drugs if such sale and distribution, at a price at which there was no profit, were to be done by, say, a federal drugstore”. This would ease a lot of tension off police officers around the country. However, because drugs are not legal, society has to rely on their local police departments to keep them safe from addicts (Wm. F. Buckley Jr.,