Ever wondered why people use drugs? In recent decades, global discourse and narratives on drug use and supply has increasingly gained the attention of politics, the media and the public. These debates take place in both a local and global arena given the increasingly polarizing approaches to controlling drug use, models of rehabilitation and the evolving nature of the drug markets themselves. So too are our own views of drug sellers and users which are shaped by stereotypes perpetuated in the media.

We seek to understand why people take and sell drugs, how drug use is understood within societies, and how societies respond.  In doing so, we enable students to develop a deeper critical understanding of societal issues concerning illegal drugs, crime, and how policy and practices work to alleviate them. Students will explore issues around drug use, supply, and associated criminal behaviour from a social and subcultural perspective, understanding how some people’s use of drugs is disproportionally framed as ‘problematic’. We explore different frameworks and approaches to governing drug use and rehabilitation around the globe Finally, we discuss the future of drugs in our society through understanding how technology, media and globalization shape the changing drug markets.

This course will develop a multi-disciplinary understanding of drugs in Hong Kong and elsewhere by enabling students to apply sociological, criminological, historical, and cultural perspectives to the study of drug use, drug supply, and policy responses to this ‘social problem’. Student will benefit from a range of speakers, from academics who have conducted ethnographic research in drug subcultures and NGOs who work directly in the field.