Mothers and Illicit Drugs: Transcending the Myths

Front Cover
University of Toronto Press, Jan 1, 1999 - Self-Help - 243 pages

During the past decade, media and medical forces have combined to create an alarming view of pregnant mothers who use illicit drugs. The result has been increased state control of these women and their infants. This in-depth study is the first in Canada to look at how mothers who use illicit drugs regard the laws, medical practices, and social services that intervene in their lives.

Focusing on practices in western Canada, Susan C. Boyd argues that licit and illicit drug categories are artificial and dangerous and that the evidence for neonatal syndrome (NAS) is suspect and ideologically driven. She shows that women of colour and poor women are treated much more harshly by authorities, that current regulations erode women's civil liberties, and that social control is the aim of drug policy and law. The study highlights mothers' views of the NAS program at Sunny Hill Hospital for Children in Vancouver.

Writing from a critical feminist perspective, Boyd exposes some surprising social fictions - those that separate 'good' and 'bad' drugs, as they do 'good' and 'bad' mothers.

 

Contents

Women and Social Control
5
Maternal Drug Use
25
A Feminist Perspective
36
Drugs and Mothering
44
Illicit Drug Use and Mothering
59
Conclusion
72
LongTerm NAS Problems
88
Patient Release and Followup
94
Drug Use Withdrawal and Cessation
153
Alternatives to Current Drug Treatment
160
The Effects of the Criminalization of Narcotics
166
Police Surveillance
177
Prostitution
185
Reentry
193
Criminalization Decriminalization and Legalization
201
Implications for Policy Makers
207

Its the Drugs
103
Past Social Service History
114
Pregnancy Birth and Social Services
122
Drug Treatment
134
A Maintenance Program
142
Interview Schedule
213
REFERENCES
219
INDEX
239
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Mothers and Illicit Drugs: Transcending the Myths
Susan C. Boyd
No preview available - 1999

Common terms and phrases

Addiction Research Foundation alcohol arrest baby behaviour birth British Columbia Canada cent chil child abuse child apprehension clinic cocaine concern criminal justice system custody described doctors drug treatment experience family court fear feel foetal foetus foster foster care founding director gender harm reduction Hepburn heroin ideology illegal illicit drug users infants exposed infants labelled jail kids lifestyle lives Maher maternal drug mean methadone maintenance methadone patients middle-class Ministry of Social Morgan mothers interviewed Murphy narcotics Native Indian negative neonatal abstinence syndrome never nurses parents perceived poor women pregnancy pregnant women prenatal prison problems professionals program at Sunny prostitution responsibility risk Rosenbaum Siney social control social service intervention social stigma social workers society Sunny Hill Hospital symptoms thing tion treated Vancouver war on drugs welfare withdrawal woman women interviewed women noted women of colour Yeah

References to this book

About the author (1999)

SUSAN C. BOYD is Assistant Professor, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University.

Bibliographic information

TitleMothers and Illicit Drugs: Transcending the Myths
G - Reference,Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series
Mothers and Illicit Drugs: Transcending the Myths, Susan C. Boyd
AuthorSusan C. Boyd
Editionillustrated
PublisherUniversity of Toronto Press, 1999
ISBN0802081517, 9780802081513
Length243 pages
Subjects ›  › 

Self-Help / Substance Abuse & Addictions / Drugs
  
Export CitationBiBTeX EndNote RefMan