Introductory description

This interdisciplinary module seeks to critically explore the relationship between drugs, crime, and society. Students will be introduced to the historical and political developments that have influenced drug control strategies and practices around the world. This will serve as a foundation to understand many of the contemporary issues and debates concerning drug use, abuse, and addiction, as well as the suggested links between drugs and crime, and drugs in the criminal justice system.
Recent events, such as the legalisation of certain drugs in some countries, the gendered victimisation associated with drugs (e.g., spiking) or the use of illicit drugs for medicinal purposes, highlight the importance of problematising certain trends, patterns and strategies in responding to drug use and drug problems. Students will therefore be taught to reflect on the relationship between drugs and public policies, and have a critical appreciation of the benefits and limitations of different societal responses to drug use and addiction. This debate will be based on international perspectives, for instance when critically reflecting on the global nature of the criminalisation of the drug market and when comparing drug control practices across countries.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Part 1 . Drugs, Society, and Social Control

1. Drug Use and Abuse: Definitions and History
2. Drug Classifications: From legal to CNS classifications
3. Conceptualisation of Drug Use, Abuse, and Addiction
4. Drug-related Harm: Are Certain Social Groups More Vulnerable?
5. Societal Responses to Drugs: International Perspectives
6. Reading Week

Part 2. Drugs, Crime and the Criminal Justice
7. Theoretically Understanding Drug Use and Crime
8. Drugs and Crime: Is there a link?
9. Drugs and the Criminal Justice System – From Policing Drugs to Prison
10. Module Review and Assignment Discussion

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Critically reflect on the historical and social construction of drugs and drug abuse;
• Demonstrate a working understanding of the different kinds of drugs and their (problematic or non problematic) uses;
• Understand the social correlates of drug use and abuse, across gender, race, age and social class;
• Debate and constructively challenge a variety of myths surrounding drug use and addiction;
• Have a critical appreciation of the benefits and limitations of different responses to drug use and addiction;
• Explain the function of programs for the prevention and treatment of drug use and abuse;
• Discuss the evolution, function, and consequences of drug control policies in the UK and other parts of the world (e.g., U.S., Canada and Portugal);
• Identify, examine and critically reflect about theoretical approaches on the link between drugs and crime;
• Critically debate patterns of drug use and abuse related to crime;
• Critically debate the international nature of the illicit drug market and impacts it has on drug control policies;
• Discuss the ways in which drug control policies impact drugs users and the criminal justice system.

Indicative reading list

Bean, P. (2008). Drugs and Crime. Third edition. Willan Publishing.
Bean, P. (2010). Legalising Drugs: Debates and Dilemmas, Cambridge: Policy Press
Belenko, S., Spohn, C. (2015). Drugs, Crime and Justice. Sage Publications.
Bennett, T. and Holloway, K. (2005). Understanding drugs, alcohol and crime. Open University Press.
Davenport-Hines, R. (2001). The Pursuit of Oblivion: A global history of narcotics 1500-2000, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
Escohotado, A. (1996). A Brief History of Drugs – From the Stone Age to the Stoned Age. Rochester: Park Street Press.
Faupel, C., Horowitz, A., Weaver, G. (2013). The Sociology of American Drug Use (3rd Edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Harding, S. (2020). County Lines: Exploitation and Drug Dealing among Urban Street Gangs. Bristol: Bristol University Press.
Iniciardi, J., Mcelrath, K. (2015) (eds.). The American Drug Scene – Readings in a Global Context. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Lyman, M.D. (2017). Drugs in Society - Causes, Concepts, and Control. Routledge.
Nutt, D. (2012). Drugs: Without the Hot Air, Cambridge: UIT Cambridge.
Ritter, A. (2022). Drug Policy. Routledge.
Shiner, M. (2009). Drug Use and Social Change: The Distortion of History. Palgrave McMillan.
Stevens, A. (2011). Drugs, Crime and Public Health: The Political Economy of Drug Policy. Routledge.
Tonry, M., Wilson, J. (1990) (eds.). Drugs and Crime. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Wilson, A. (2007) Northern Soul: music, drugs and subcultural identity, Cullompton: Willan.
Young, J. (1971). The Drugtakers. Harper Collins.

Research element

Students taking this module will need to engage actively with empirical and theoretical research on drugs and crime for coursework and weekly debates.

Interdisciplinary

This module draws from sociology, criminology, law, and politics.

International

This module will focus not just on drugs and crime in the UK but also on other geographies. More specifically, the discussion of the history of drugs is set in the global context, the debate around the legal responses to drugs compares different countries, and the discussion around the economy of drugs and the drug control strategies consider drugs international routes.

Subject specific skills

1. Demonstrate an understanding of key concepts, theories, and approaches in drugs and crime scholarship;
2. Demonstrate an appreciation of the diversity and range of social and legal responses to drug use, abuse and addiction
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the historical and political contexts framing the current drug control strategies
4. Appreciate how class, race, and gender affect drug use and drug control strategies;
5. Critically evaluate and assess contemporary trends and patterns of drug control policies around the world
6. Critically engage with contemporary debates on the benefits and limitations of different responses to drug use and addiction

Transferable skills

• Understand and adopt reflexive and critical reading practices; • Be able to critically evaluate policies, processes, and the politics behind drug control strategies; • Be able to understand the similarities and differences in how societies around the world respond to drug use, abuse, and addiction; • Explore the social, political, historical and global processes that impact how drug policies and legislations are enforced; • Understand how drugs are dealt in and by the criminal justice system; • Think critically about how drug use, abuse and addiction affects different social groups; • Engage in group debates and discussions on current affairs and cases pertaining to drugs and crime; • Develop team working skills and oral debates; • Demonstrate an ability to work independently, managing your own learning, and make use of scholarly reviews and primary and secondary sources; • Be able to devise and sustain arguments, and/or solve problems, using a range of ideas and techniques drawn from sociology and criminology and other disciplines.