In the U.S., the attitude on drugs is symbolized in a phrase that has been emphasized over and over again- war on drugs.  The problem with this type of outlook is that in any war there must be another side, and too often drug dealers and users are targeted as the enemy when it is actually the drugs themselves we are seeking to eliminate.  This makes users into addicts as they cannot feasibly get help from general society without degradation.  This, together with the assumption that a person’s friends usually have the same outlook on drug use, helps to make drug use socially irreversible.
 

Some outlying social factors:
1. "Nancy Reagan" outlook
2. Informative Negative Reinforcement
3. Decriminalization

More intimate social forces:
1. Role Models
2. Peers
 
 

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