Proscribed perception : participant perspectives on legitimacy & criminality in the non-medical use of painkillers

George Dertadian

    Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperConference Paperpeer-review

    Abstract

    ![CDATA[The use of medication for reasons other than medically instructed is not necessarily a criminal act. However there are a series of moral imperatives attached to the practice which implicate criminality. The ‘illicit’ perception of any form of heavy drug consumption is necessitated by a homogenised moral code, which constructs research into the practice as at least partly proscriptive. Likewise deviation from medical instruction involves a level of moral condemnation (Turner 1995). Indeed the perceived value of research into the practice seems tied to the moral assumption that drug use is ‘bad’. The stigmatized perception of substance use, as well as the institutional criminalization of addiction, permeates a diverse range of social contexts. The dispersment of criminalized images and its subsequent impact on criminal activity forms the focus of this paper. The paper draws on Governmentality literature to unpack relevant discourses about the social control of drug users in particular(Alaszewski 2011). Noticing the problems which have developed in North America, the Australian medical community has begun to raise concerns about the ways in which people acquire and consume their medications. It is important to note that the best available Australian data paints a drastically different picture to that of the US figures, which have been said to be at epidemic proportions(Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee 2007).The focus of this paper however is not to examine theprevalence of non-medical use in Australia, but rather toengage the perspectives of those who use painkillers non-medically in an attempt to better understand the rising popularity of this trend. In saying so, this paper seeks toidentify aspects of the perspectives of non-medical users that help to facilitate criminological discussions about the way such perceptions interact with broader discourses about health and safety, recreation and risk.Drawing from sociology of deviance and critical criminological perspectives about the label of criminality, the paper explores the perspectives of users and the proscriptive frameworks which inform them. In line with criticisms about a lack of consideration of personal context in early criminology labeling theory(Wellford 1975), the focus of the paper will lie primarily with the personal accounts of user. This will allow for an important exploration of the material consequences of the ways in which participant perceptions are manifest in the narrativization of the ‘legitimacy’ and ‘criminality’ of their own experiences.]]
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationChanging the Way We Think about Change : Proceedings of The 6th Annual Australian and New Zealand Critical Criminology Conference, 12-13 July 2012, University of Tasmania, Hobart
    PublisherUniversity of Tasmania
    Pages127-135
    Number of pages9
    ISBN (Print)9780646594958
    Publication statusPublished - 2013
    EventAustralian and New Zealand Critical Criminology Conference -
    Duration: 12 Jul 2012 → …

    Conference

    ConferenceAustralian and New Zealand Critical Criminology Conference
    Period12/07/12 → …

    Keywords

    • painkillers
    • analgesics
    • drug utilization

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