Drug Policy (PSY 494/HNR 302)

Course Description

This course will involve a critical examination of many aspects of historic and contemporary drug policies, both in the U.S. and in other countries.  Political, economic, social, and psychological effects of drug policies will be covered, with emphasis on empirical evidence regarding the relative effectiveness of the policies.  Issues such as the "War on Drugs," the legalization debate, and harm reduction will be covered.  The course format will combine lecture, discussion, and student-directed presentations.

Professor Contact info: goddard@nku.edu
Course Web site: http://www.nku.edu/~goddard/

Textbooks

Goldberg, R.  (Ed.). (2002).  Taking sides:  Clashing views on controversial issues in drugs and society (5th ed.).  Guilford, CT:  Dushkin/McGraw-Hill. (This book is required).
The campus bookstore is also putting together a collection of readings for the course, which will also be required.  Additional required readings will be announced in class and will be placed on reserve in the library. 

Attendance/Participation

Because this course will have class discussion as a major component, and because a great deal of the information you will learn in this course will come from lectures and class discussion, attendance is strongly recommended.  Quizzes will cover material from lectures, discussions,  and readings.  You are responsible for all announcements made in class.  Preparation for class discussions, and active participation in them, is expected.  Missing more than two classes may result in a reduction of at least one letter grade for the course.  Three late arrivals (more than 5 minutes late) is equivalent to one missed class.

NOTE:  On April 29 and May 1, you and your colleagues will make presentations and lead the class in discussion.   ATTENDANCE ON THESE DATES IS REQUIRED.  Failure to attend class on these dates will result in a deduction of 10 points from your presentation grade for each day missed, in addition to other penalties for absence described above.

Quizzes

There will be 3 quizzes covering lectures, class discussions, and readings.  These quizzes will consist of short-answer and essay questions.  Each of these quizzes will be worth 50 points.  Approximate quiz dates are February 20, March 27, and April 24.  You will receive all the quiz questions one week in advance, and the quiz will consist of a subset of those questions.  

Make-up quizzes

Although you are encouraged to take all quizzes on the date they are scheduled, make-up quizzes will be given in the event of medical or personal crises.  Determination of eligibility for make-up quizzes is entirely at my discretion.  I must be notified prior to the quiz. 

Group Project/Class Presentation

You will work in groups of 3-4 students (assigned by me) to make a presentation to the class on a particular controversy in drug policy.  The presentation is worth a total of 100 points.  Students will submit their first, second, and third topic choices to me by Jan. 30.  I will make group assignments by Feb. 6.  Group work will occur throughout the semester outside of class time.  You are responsible for arranging meeting times with your fellow group members.  Each group will also be required to meet with me at prearranged times during the semester, so that I can assess your progress and assist you.  More details on the project will be distributed throughout the semester.  On April 29 and May 1, you and your group will present information about all sides of the controversy, and will lead the class in a discussion of this topic.  In advance of your presentation (no later than April 22), you will also provide the class with at least two readings on your topic and a list of possible discussion questions.  Each group will have approximately 25 minutes for their presentations (specific time slots will be assigned via random drawing).  Each person will receive a grade for the group project.
 
Policy Paper

The final project in this course is a paper in which you devise a comprehensive drug policy for the United States.  The total possible score for the paper is 200 points.  Your paper will need to address a variety of issues, including:

•  shortcomings of our current drug policy (or lack thereof)
• what drugs, if any, should be legalized or decriminalized, and why
• what the policy should be with regard to reduction of supply of drugs
• what treatment options should be available to drug misusers
• what prevention policies should be implemented or halted
• at least two of the issues covered during the class presentations.

Your paper should include policies for alcohol and tobacco, in addition to currently illicit drugs.  This paper should not be simply an opinion statement; you must support your arguments with empirical evidence.  The paper should be at least 8 pages in length (double spaced) and should use APA-style reference citations.  The quality of your writing (i.e., grammar, spelling, logical flow) will count for a substantial portion of the total paper grade.  You have the option of turning in a rough draft of your policy paper on April 15 to receive feedback with no penalties.  Drafts submitted on this date will be returned as soon as possible, so that you may make corrections before turning the paper in for a final grade.  Drafts submitted on this early date may be handwritten and may be incomplete.  The final paper is due at 1:00 pm. on Tuesday, May 8.  All papers must be typed or word-processed.  If you turned in a rough draft for me to critique, you must also turn in the rough draft along with your final paper.  You must turn the paper in directly to me or my appointed representative; you may not leave it in my mailbox or under my office door. 
NOTE:  For each day that papers are overdue, 50 points may be subtracted from the final paper grade.

Grades

Grades will be based on total points earned from the 3 quizzes (50 points each), group project/class presentation (100 points), and the policy paper (200 points).  The following scale will be used in assigning final grades:

 450-405 points = A
 404-360 points = B
 359-315 points = C
 314-270 points = D
 fewer than 270 points = F

Extra Credit

If extra credit opportunities arise, they will be announced in class.  All students will be given the same opportunities for earning extra credit.   Alternatives to research participation will be available to all students.

Students with Special Needs

If you are a student with a physical and/or learning disability, please notify me during the first week of class so that arrangements can be made to adapt class procedures to meet your needs.

Honor Code

The work you will do in this course is subject to the Student Honor Code (http://www.nku.edu/~deanstudents/).  The Honor Code is a commitment to the highest degree of ethical integrity in academic conduct, a commitment that, individually and collectively, the students of NKU will not lie, cheat, or plagiarize to gain an academic advantage over fellow students or avoid academic requirements.

Required Readings (to be assembled in a packet by the bookstore):

Musto, D.  (1991).  Opium, cocaine and marijuana in American history.  Scientific American, July, 40-47.

Taylor, Avril.  (1998).  Needlework:  The lifestyle of female drug injectors. Journal of Drug Issues, 28, 8-19.

Lewis, Roger.  (1998).  High times, low company.  Druglink, 13(6), 20-23.

MacCoun, Robert J., & Reuter, Peter.  (1997).  Interpreting Dutch cannabis policy:  Reasoning by analogy in the legalization debate.  Science, Oct. 3,  47-52.

van Solinge, Tim Boekhout.  (1999).  Dutch drug policy in a European context.  Journal of Drug Issues, 29, 511-528.

Marlatt, G. Alan.  (1998).  Harm reduction around the world.  In G. A. Marlatt (Ed.), Harm reduction: Pragmatic strategies for managing high-risk situations (pp. 48-57).  New York:  Guilford Press.

MacCoun, Robert J.  (1998).  Toward a psychology of harm reduction.  American Psychologist, 53, 1199-1208.

Reuter, Peter.  (2001).  Why does research have so little impact on American drug policy?  Addiction, 96, 373-376.

I also expect to assign 2 or 3 chapters from the book below.  The book will be on reserve in the library.  I'll let you know which chapters I want you to read and by what date:

MacCoun, Robert J., & Reuter, Peter.  (2001).  Drug war heresies:  Learning from other vices, times, and places.  Cambridge, England:  Cambridge University Press.