This assignment asks students to use the functionalist sociological theory to analyze drug use and legalization in the US, and to compare it with their own personal views on the topic.

There are major changes occurring in our social world regarding drug use and legalization. Most states have legalized medicinal marijuana, and around half have legalized recreational use of the drug. And there is a popular view that minority communities are more prone to drug abuse than are White regions. The data, however, indicate that African Americans and Hispanics are less likely to be serious drug users than are Whites (“Differences in service utilization and barriers among Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites with drug use disorders,” Brian E. Perron et al.).
use one of the three major sociological theories (Functionalism) to analyze drug use and drug legalization in the United States today. How does the sociological theory compare with your own personal view of drug usage/legalization?