The politics of prevention: changing definitions of substance use/abuse

Over the past decade there has been a significant shift in the language used by the Reagan and Bush administrations in the fight against youthful drug abuse. We believe this shift reflects a change both in the "moral climate" regarding drug use as well as a reconceptualization of the appropriate way to confront the issue--the "just say no" philosophy. This paper will first provide a brief sociological overview of the emergence of adolescent drug use as a major social problem. We will then document, through an examination of government-sponsored literature on drug use produced over the past 10 years, the changes in conceptual focus that have occurred and consider some of the potential negative consequences of these changes for education.