5.6 Tobacco, Alcohol, and Illicit Drug Use

LO 5.6: Discuss how the use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs are both legal and health problems.

The use and abuse of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs can be deviant, criminal, or both. For instance, the legality of alcohol use depends on place, age, and other contextual factors. Someone of the legal drinking age can consume alcohol, but that consumption breaks the law if they drive while intoxicated.

Moreover, tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs use are matters for both the legal system and the healthcare system. People can develop substance use disorder. A substance use disorder means that the person is unable to control their use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs and may be physically addicted. In these cases, medical intervention is necessary.

People have long understood that others can develop a substance use disorder. For example, alcoholism was first described as a disease in the late 1700s (Smith, 2011). Further, the American Medical Association classified alcoholism as a disease in 1956 (Henry, 2019). When a social group understands that the use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs are problems of health rather than of crime, the group prioritizes medical interventions instead of or in addition to legal interventions.

Photo 5.15

Tobacco, Alcohol, and Illicit Drugs are Both Legal and Health Problems