Suppose a friend tells you, "The reason why so many people turn to drug-taking and even drug        selling is that American society has serious social problems, like poverty and unemployment and dysfunctional schools." Argue that "growing up in a troubled poverty-stricken family living in a low-income neighborhood with failing schools" is a risk factor for getting involved in the drug scene as an abuser and even as a seller. Discuss several theories developed by criminologists that take this point of view and the solutions they propose.

 

          b) Suppose a friend tells you, "The reason why so many people turn to drug-taking and even drug       selling has nothing to do with poverty in American society." Argue that "drug abuse is not connected to poverty." Discuss several other criminological (but not biological or psychological) theories about the causes of drug abuse that do not emphasize poverty as a risk factor, and discuss the solutions that follow from these theories. 

 

c)    Suppose a friend says to you that, "all the theories discussed in criminology courses about the causes of drug abuse are nothing but common sense or are just personal opinions." What would you say?

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a Arguing that Poverty is a Risk Factor for Drug Involvement Growing up in a troubled povertystricken family within a lowincome neighborhood with failing schools can indeed be a significant risk facto... View the full answer