After reading this, one can see how a behavior is considered deviant, but the question is, "Why is a certain type of behavior considered deviant?" This paper will take a particular deviant behavior, which is illicit drug use, and examine why this type of behavior is labeled as deviant. By using theoretical approaches, this paper will provide the reader an explanation of why illicit drug use occurs in the first place.
Throughout history, all human societies have used drugs, but it hasn't been until recently considered deviant behavior. Drug use was seen only as a personal problem, but today's societies, in general, condemns drug use. There are many reasons for this perception of drug use in our society today. It's stated that "since a social process creates standards for deviance, consumption of a particular drug becomes deviant only when individuals and groups define it a such" (Clinard and Meier, 2001). This is seen in new laws and legislation against drug use, making drug use, seen by society, as wrong and criminal. This causes public opinion to look at drug use as deviant because the norms of society have been changed. These new laws were passed by legislation because of the common myth that drug use is the cause of bigger problems of society. Society is given the belief that drug users posses certain characteristics which include "low self-esteem, social incompetence, inadequate identity, easily influenced
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