Your discussion this week explores the concept of harm reduction policy and approaches to supporting people with substance use disorder. You know the “war on drugs” has not worked to stem the tide of drug use in America, so you must ask why that is. And if the war on drugs approach did not work, what might work in its place?
Before beginning work on this discussion forum, review the following resources:
- Saylor Foundation. (2016). Social problems: Continuity and change. Chapter 7: Alcohol & Other DrugsBoard, T. E. (2023, February 26). America has lost the war on drugs. What now? The New York Times. (Note: If you have trouble with the link, the article can be found in the BC Library).
- American Psychiatric Association (n.d.). What is a substance use disorder?
- National Harm Reduction Coalition. (2022, December 20). Principles of harm reduction
Recommended Materials:
- BAART Programs. (n.d.) Vermont’s opioid addiction: A family crisis.
After reviewing your resources, address each of the following in essay format:
- Why (and how) has substance use disorder been treated as a crime for some users and a medical issue for others based on class and race?
- Substance use disorder has increasingly affected whites, women, and middle/upper-class people. How does this change relate to the social construction of substance use disorder in society? In other words, how has this “new face” of substance use disorder changed how society defines drug abuse as a crime or a medical issue?
- How does race factor into public perceptions of addiction?
- Define harm reduction in your own words and give an example of where you see it strategically working to curb the consequences of substance use disorder over arrests and incarceration.
- Describe how you would respond to someone who might think harm reduction does not work.
Main Discussion Board General Directions
Your Main DBs are a core part of the class and are meant to critically engage you with the material, each other, and occasionally with me. I monitor quietly and will “Like” your post once I’ve reviewed it. Sometimes I will ask you a question or request that you elaborate more. Look for these throughout the term, as you will be prompted to improve your grade. If I do comment, it will be before the deadline, so you have time to improve if necessary. Feedback for your assignment will be in the gradebook. Email me if you have a question about your grade or my feedback. Please do not leave a comment in the gradebook in response to my feedback. Canvas does not alert me when there’s interaction in the gradebook, so I likely won’t see it.
Follow the required writing guidelines in your syllabus, as with all your assignments for this class. I deduct points for not doing so. Note on the procedures for Discussion Boards: You may need help to double-space in your Discussions. If you can’t, that’s okay. Just make sure you’re doing it in all of your other assignments.
Although Discussion Boards tend to lend themselves to conversational language brevity, you should not engage in either. Instead, consider these as “mini-essays” where you produce thoughtful, critical engagement with the questions and course material.
Do not attach your assignments – write directly in the discussion board window. Take the Canvas training to learn how to post in discussions if you do not know how to do this.
When responding to your colleagues, you should write a full paragraph. Be thoughtful and responsive; feel free to ask probing questions. Please do not “correct” one another or leave any grading language in these responses. Do not write “good job!” etc. Engage one another in your discussions. Be interesting and interested.
Remember: If I ask you a question, it usually prompts you to grab an opportunity to improve your grade. Watch for these queries throughout the term.
The rules of engagement are as follows; please respect our space in this learning community.
Ground Rules for All Discussions
- Don’t Hijack the Thread – Everyone is here to learn; to that end, you must ensure space to learn. Respect the space, respect your professor, and respect your colleagues. As is the rule in an on-ground class, overtalking, dominating discussion, and positioning yourself as intellectually superior is, at best, annoying and, at worst, invasive of class dynamics. So if you need to, pull it back, breathe, and leave the teaching to me.
- Confidentiality – Respect other students’ privacy in the classroom by refraining from identifying your colleagues when talking to people about the class. What is said in class (specifically, who said what) should stay there.
- Respect – While it is difficult always to know what each person will consider “being respectful,” we can try. These are some of the guidelines we should keep in mind:
- Make sure you understand what someone is saying before you respond. Don’t conclude you know their intent; check it out with them first. Contact me when and if you think something is being said that shouldn’t.
- Remember that everyone has different knowledge bases. Assume that people aren’t willfully ignorant when they do not understand something.
- Own your attitudes and opinions. Don’t use passive voice when talking about something you think or believe. If you say something someone else is offended, acknowledge it and move on. This classroom is a safe space for everyone to express their opinions. Come to me with concerns, always.
- Do not dominate the class discussion. Discussion can get very interesting (which it should). However, please do not overpower your colleagues by writing (saying) everything that comes to mind. Remember, many people in the class have a lot to say, and some people can be shy, even online.
- Speak for yourself.
- NO ONE should be understood to be “representing” the racial/ethnic, gender, class, etc., group to which they belong. No Chicana/o speaks for all Chicana/os; no Vietnamese American speaks for all Vietnamese Americans, no Native American/Indian speaks for all Native Americans/Indians, no single parent for all single parents, and so on. All groups have a diversity of opinions, feelings, and analyses. We can access this richness through discussion, readings, films, and other media – no person can represent any group’s complexity.