The Disneyization of Drug Use
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Question 1
Drugs and music events have a long consistent history. Music festivals in different parts worldwide are often conducted as outdoor activities, with youths being the main congregants giving them a rare opportunity away from everyday responsibilities. These opportunities lead them into drugs and substance abuse, making it a culture during musical festivals (Valente,2019). Due to peer pressure, drug use is often a temptation among many youths; thus, they end up in use of different categories to suit their group patterns. Wide availability of drugs in this events makes it easier for the attendees to access them with majority of sellers targeting these venues. Substances such as Alcohol, tobacco, cocaine, cannabis, hallucinogens, opioids, Adderall are oftenly sold.
The perception among youths that certain types of drugs enhances the sensory experiences of a concert leads them into taking more quantities of a certain drug. For different music concerts, musicians have the tradition of using drugs to enhance creativity in their music display and dance patterns. Listeners on the other hand use drugs so as to heighten the pleasure and joy created by music in order for them to feel in place. The type of music played in a concert matches the effects of use of certain drugs. For example, fast and repetitive music is often matched with Amphetamine, this is because it brings about stimulation and enables listeners to dance quickly. The effects of this drug enables listeners to have ecstasy with the tendency to offer repetitive movement and feelings of joy and great pleasure through the music movement and dance(Fasullo and Bodeker 2020). There is a deep representation of drug use in popular music in concerts, the relationship between music and drugs is basically complex.
Music concerts present a first time opportunity for many to have a trip away from home with friends and basically no parents in oversee their activities. It’s within this time that the attendees feel the joy of freedom, particularly after tough and demanding exam periods that they have a chance to try out new experiences which were previously hindered by schooling activities. Different factors contribute either directly or indirectly to the temptation to take drugs. Participants often want to embrace the freedom acquired creating a sense of invincibility and sellers may as a result promote drug use as part of that(Batat and Tanner 2019). The atmosphere at the festivals is often prolonged parting leading to the temptation to take drugs .Festival goers often want as much as possible to stay awake and follow the activities leading them to turn to stimulants and in turn they end up getting introduced to drugs use.
Studies have revealed that an increased number of festival goers take in increased quantities of drugs than they do on other periods and circumstances. The fact that drugs are oftenly referenced and their titles mentioned in music makes increased use seem more normalized. This greatly impels the festival goers to take more quantities to make them more relevant to the event for example, in an instance of alcohol intake, some want to compete to be the last man standing and at a result they take immersive large quantities of liquor. Secondly, promotion and advertisement of substances such as liquor at this events leads to increased consumption since the manufacturers are the major sponsors and sell them at a discounted price. The festival goers as a results can obtain more quantities of the substances since the price is favorable to them.
Festival goers often self-medicate themselves in order to relieve certain social pressures and anxieties .As a result, they end up taking different drugs and substances ,getting introduced to new drugs by their peers for them to remain consistent with the trend. Those that take alcohol may oftenly try tobacco and marijuana or other available substances to feel the pleasure as defined by their friends to them. They as a result become stimulants, try different drugs so as to enable them to actively take part in the festivals activities. Drugs and substances use at music festivals is oftenly semi- open thus making it seem to be part of the experience.
Most festival goers get introduced to certain substances while still at home. In some regions, teens get introduced to substances such as alcohol at a tender age .They become more used to it as they regularly take it in parties and other occasions at home. Attending music festivals opens them up to wide variety of drugs some of them, never existed in their mind before. Due to the perception that drugs enhances sensory experiences of the festival, they tend to mix due to curiosity and to keep in line with their peers. The situations festival goers find themselves in festivals illustrates the risks of taking drugs. They are often faced with prolonged lack of sleep and dehydration due to taking high amounts of alcohol. Drugs such as cocaine leads to raised body temperatures increasing the risk of consumption. The greatest harm comes along with addiction which may lead to lifetime intake of the substances(Ocampo and Cicero 2020)
Drug use cause short term effects such as sleeplessness and changes in appetite and also long term effects such as depression and panic disorders to the consumer. The effects of drug abuse are based on the type of drug, and any other substances the consumer is using and their health history. Various strategies can be used to address the potential harm of drug use with music festivals so as to increase awareness among the festival goers, sellers and the community at large. Pill testing to the consumer is a strategy that helps to identify the content and composition of drugs brought by festival goers.This may include having contact with a health professional so that they can give advice on the risks of taking the drug and harm reduction. Another approach is to test police acquired drugs that have been seized this approach may become effective to reducing harm if testing is combined with alerts about certain drugs to festival goers(Scott and Scott 2020)
The efficacy of control measures such as policing, drug detection dogs and zero tolerance strategies leads to great control in drug use in music festivals. However, at some instances these measures may pose a challenge and lead to increased harm. Common festivals pose a challenge as the drugs and substances offered lead to a financial loss of the festival goer so they claim it in their ticket. However, there are harm reduction strategies in place at festivals such as availability of peer-led organizations, staff and volunteers training in responding to affected people and offering emergency services. Drug detention dogs also help to control sneaking of drugs into the festivals
Question 2 part 1
Every full moon, tourists travel to certain places to party and others to gain new experiences on nightlife parties. Some of the most often visited destinations are Kho phangan in Thailand and Goa, India .Thailand for instance is regarded as the world leading tourist destination for full moon party. This leads to thousands of travelers congregating to get the traditional loose drinking buckets and also painting their bodies with neon paint as a way of ushering off the full moon. The full moon party in Thailand is carried on till the next days with bars staying open and playing music. Although drugs and other substances are consumed by party goers, laws concerning drugs control are strict and enforcement is carried out during parties.
Drugs and other narcotics had been used severally on this parties, lading to government intervention with the aim of protecting the image of the resort island. The authorities’ oftenly deploy police officers to conduct searches on the day of the full moon. The commonly smuggled drugs during the parties are ice and marijuana which are highly popular among the tourists. Drugs consumption patterns for tourists in this parties is quite different from their habitual home drug use due to government controls and laws in their respective countries. This gives an opportunity for smugglers to deploy various tactics to supply drugs to the ready market. Full moon party in Goa, India dates back to the 1960s, receiving more travelers than Thailand’s full moon party. There are various categories of drugs smuggled and sold to the tourists with alcohol being the main substance taken by most party goers.Drugs consumption at home is at a much lower extent as compared to when they visit the full moon parties, with most getting introduced to new drugs on their first visits.
Question 2 part 2
Illicit drugs usage often have a range of damaging effects to the body, these harms may be either short term based or long term to the victim. Short term drugs harm are mainly as a result of immediate use of the substances varying from the type of the drug, amount or the manner in which it’s taken. An overdose is harm caused by taking too much of drugs or taking a combination of drugs .However, the amount of the drug needed to result to an overdose depends on the persons tolerance to the drug, purity of the drug and whether the user have been taking a combination of frequently used illicit drugs which may cause death.
Long term effects of illicit drugs use may result in tolerance when using drugs such as alcohol, cocaine and cannabis .Dependence to the drug is also a harm as the drug becomes central to a person’s life rendering it difficult for the person to stop use or control the rate and amount used. People who use illicit drugs may also experience withdrawal when they reduce the rate of use or stop using the drug. This may result to symptoms such as irritability, depression and severe tiredness. The impact of illicit drugs on crimes and violence is damaging to societies as members have to live in illicit drugs markets, where crimes and violence are ever present. Crime and violence in the society takes different forms such as international cartels, individual drug users and also innocent people caught up in violent drug cultures. Drug abuse is related to criminal offences such as homicidal activities and robbery indicating that drug and substances abuse is a critical factor. Violence is connected to illicit drugs use and may also reflect an existence culture of violence in certain communities impelled by other origins such as civil unrest or war.
Question 3 part 1
Normalization thesis basically explains the connection between illicit drug abuse and young people in early 1990s.The developers of this thesis reasoned that leisure use of illicit drugs had developed a common way of life of youths in quest of their pleasure and leisure. They also reasoned that other non-drug using members of the society had come in terms with it culturally and socially.Normaliation theory is one of the utmost effective theoretic developments that have been used to study relationship between youths and drugs usage, Unlike criminal and physiological models that associate drug abuse with defiance and resistance, it signifies the increased pleasure led drug use in the united kingdom by young people of that time.
The concept of normalization however faces different criticisms which need to be addressed in the future. There is need, for innovation specifically concerning online drug usage economies and upgrading of the digital media. More qualitative research is also needed in order to get a social understanding and definition of drug abuse, the framework in which drug use arises and the advantages of normalization. For the concept to remain more consistent to modern days, there is also a need to conduct further studies with less dependence on statistics provided by authorities.
Developments have since taken place in the normalization thesis, more specifically developing consent about the diverse scope of normalization and the necessity to address other occurrences. Developmental work has since then put focuses on the process of normalization ,how the notion of normalization have helped to shape drug usage practices and practices, the process of denormalization and whether there are additional consequences that have risen as a result of normalization.
Question 3 part 2
Drugs use among young people have been significantly altered since 1990s due to the growing literature that have led to rise in debate on whether the regular, leisure use of certain categories of drugs have become a normal way of life among young people. The theory of normalization also sheds light on the process through which young people have come in terms developed processes of changing drug forms and styles. Use of illicit drugs among young people for leisure have become a normal feature, however, the theory explains that normalization is not a fixed process. There exist requirements to reassess frequently in the light of rapidly shifting drug forms, styles, processes and Cultural Revolution of certain drugs.
In conclusion to normalization, the theory illustrates its relevance as a way of appreciating ups and downs in pleasure based drug use across the globe. Normalization debate have also led to rise in factors relating to organization and agency and also problems and desires. The theory demonstrates the importance of new developmental works in ensuring that drug and substances normalization evoves.Shifts in drug trends and perceptions and responses to consequences of normalization should be considered adequately.
When conducting controls in musical festivals, measures such as policing, drug detection dogs and zero tolerance strategies should be used .however, at some instances these measures may pose a challenge and lead to increased harm. In common festivals the drugs and substances offered lead to a financial loss of the festival goer so they claim it in their ticket. However, there are harm reduction strategies in place at festivals such as availability of peer-led organizations, staff and volunteers training in responding to affected people and offering emergency services. Drug detention dogs also help to control sneaking of drugs into the festivals
References
Valente, Helena, Daniel Martins, Helena Carvalho, Cristiana Vale Pires, Maria Carmo Carvalho, Marta Pinto, and Monica J. Barratt. “Evaluation of a drug checking service at a large scale electronic music festival in Portugal.” International Journal of Drug Policy 73 (2019): 88-95.
Fasullo, L., Hernandez, A. and Bodeker, G., 2020. The innate human potential of elevated and ecstatic states of consciousness: Examining freeform dance as a means of access. Dance, Movement & Spiritualities, 6(1-2), pp.87-117.
Batat, W. and Tanner, J.F., 2019. Unveiling (in) vulnerability in an adolescent’s consumption subculture: a framework to understand adolescents’ experienced (in) vulnerability and ethical implications. Journal of Business Ethics, pp.1-18.
Ocampo, M.A., Popoca, C.G., Sánchez, A., Casillas, C. and Cicero, R., 2020. Comprehensive Attention with a Harm Reduction Perspective for Psychoactive Substances Consumers in a Third Level Hospital. In Behavioral Pharmacology-From Basic to Clinical Research. IntechOpen.
Scott, I.A. and Scott, R.J., 2020. Pill testing at music festivals: is it evidence‐based harm reduction?. Internal Medicine Journal, 50(4), pp.395-402.