Stigmatization: The Effect of the Montana Meth Project on People Who Use Meth

Author

Sophia L. FriedlFollow

Graduation Year

2016

Graduation Month

May

Document Type

Thesis - Campus Access Only

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

School or Department

Sociology

Major

Sociology – Inequality and Social Justice

Faculty Mentor Department

Sociology

Faculty Mentor

Kathy Kuipers

Keywords

Montana Meth Project, Stigmatization

Subject Categories

Inequality and Stratification | Medicine and Health

Abstract

Most Montanans are familiar with the Montana Meth Project, but few know the effects of this project on the people who actually use methamphetamine. In order to make a full report of the impacts of the Montana Meth Project, the perspectives of people who use meth need to be taken into account. Because people who use meth are stigmatized, their points of view are often considered less important than the “average” citizen. This project uses an in-depth interview process to uncover the stigmatization faced by people who use meth, as well as discover the effect of the Montana Meth Project on people who use meth. The interviewees are people who used meth before the Project was implemented in 2005, and who used meth until at least 2008, after the brunt of the Project’s advertising took place. This ensures that we capture perspectives before and after the Project. In stigmatization literature, few papers are focused on the perspective of the stigmatized; most come from the privileged point of view of the stigmatizer. This report focuses solely on the stigmatized, making it somewhat unique in the field. Additionally, the research conducted by the Montana Meth Project focuses entirely on the perspectives of meth use of students aged 12-17. Their research does not cover adults or actual meth users, a large gap in the literature that this project hopes to fill. This project will inform future steps that the Project takes to reduce methamphetamine use in the future, allowing them to take the most effective, least stigmatizing method.

Honors College Research Project

Yes

Recommended Citation

Friedl, Sophia L., "Stigmatization: The Effect of the Montana Meth Project on People Who Use Meth" (2016). Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts. 89.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/utpp/89