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English, one level below transfer (i.e., eligibility for English composition (C-ID ENGL 100) and reading a course with an exiting skill of ability to read a college level text.

1. Drug use, misuse, abuse, and dependence

    a. Patterns of use, misuse, and abuse

    b. Progression

    c. Addiction/Drug dependency

        1. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSMR)

    d. Risk factors

2. Pharmacological classifications

    a. Depressants, including sedative-hypnotics

    b. Stimulants

    c. Opiates

    d. Anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs

    e. Marijuana

    f.  Alcohol

    g. Nicotine

    h. Prescription medications

    i.  Over-the-Counter (OTC)

    j.  Inhalants

    k. Hallucinogens

3. Effects of drug use, misuse, abuse, and dependence

    a. Short term and long-term effects

        1. Biological/Physiological

        2. Neurological

        3. Psychological

    b. Social impact

        1. Individual

        2. Community

        3. Society

4. Epidemiological data

    a. Usage

        1. Incidence

        2. Prevalence

        3. Trends

    b. Dependency

        1. Incidence

        2. Prevalence

        3. Trends

    c. Populations at risk

       1. Age

       2. Gender

       3. Education and socioeconomic status

       4. Race and ethnicity

       5. LGBTQ+

5. Laws, Policies, and Regulations

    a. Social policies and laws

        1. Treatment versus incarceration

        2. Homelessness

        3. Scheduling of drugs (DEA)

        4. Enforcement and regulations

    b. Laws and government regulations

        1. Legal distribution

        2. Illegal distribution

    c. Economics

        1. The War on illegal drugs

        2. Sales and profit of legal drugs

        3. Cost of law enforcement

    d. Marketing

        1. Pharmaceutical industry

        2. False advertising

6. Prevention, diagnosis and treatment

    a. Protective factors

    b. Signs and symptoms

    c. Mental illnesses

        1. Dual Diagnosis/Co-Occurring Disorders

    d. Evidence-based treatment strategies

    e. Community resources

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1. Distinguish the difference between current patterns of drug use, misuse, abuse, and dependence.

2. Identify various pharmacological classifications of psychoactive substances, illicit and licit.

3. Describe the biological/physiological, neurological, and psychological short and long-term effects of substance use, misuse, abuse, and dependence on the human brain and body.

4. Describe the biological/physiological, neurological, psychological, social, and economic effects of drug use, misuse, abuse, and dependence on the health of individuals, the community and society.

5. Identify the risk factors associated with the use, misuse, abuse, and dependence on specific substances, including populations at most risk based on age, gender, education, socioeconomic status, race, and ethnicity.

6. Interpret credible public health data sources to find statistical and epidemiological data on the incidence and prevalence of substance use, misuse, abuse, and dependency.

7. Analyze the historical, political, social, socioeconomic, and legal factors involved in the practice, marketing, distribution, and government regulations of legal and illegal drugs.

8. Analyze arguments on both sides of a selected controversial issue, such as drug testing in the work place or legalization of marijuana.

9. Describe contemporary methods used in prevention, diagnosis and treatment, including the Dual Diagnosis/Co-Occurring Disorders approach to treating people who suffer from both an addiction and a psychiatric disorder.

10. Identify community resources and options for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of addiction, including effective evidence-based strategies.

May include:

Exams

Quizzes

Written Assignments

Projects

Hanson, et. al., Drugs and Society

Abadinsky, Drug Use and Abuse

Goldberg,  Drugs Across the Spectrum