Are Drugs About Sex?
When the Penn researchers questioned almost 1,000 people in two subject populations, one undergraduate and one Internet-based, [they found that] … differences in reproductive strategies are driving individuals’ different views on recreational drugs. While many items predict to some extent whether people are opposed to recreational drugs, the most closely related predictors are people’s views on sexual promiscuity. While people who are more religious and those who are more politically conservative do tend to oppose recreational drugs, in both study samples the predictive power of these religious and ideological items was reduced nearly to zero by controlling for items tracking attitudes toward sexual promiscuity. …
According to the researchers’ evolutionary model, people develop complex differences in their sexual and reproductive strategies. One key difference that creates strategic conflict arises in people’s orientations towards casual sexual activity. The relationships of people following a more committed, monogamous reproductive strategy are put at greater risk when casual sex is prevalent. On the other hand, people pursuing a less committed lifestyle seek to avoid having their choices moralized, forbidden and punished. The researchers cite prior work showing that recreational drug usage is often associated with promiscuity. The results of the study imply that attitudes against recreational drugs are part of a larger attempt to advance the cause of committed, monogamous reproductive strategies. (more; source; HT David Pearce)
OK, it is plausible that the main thing folks fear from drugs is that drugs lead to promiscuous sex. But if so, then why does the US pay a terrible cost to (poorly) discourage drug use, and yet allow great promiscuity with only weak punishments. We even prevent blackmail that would naturally tax illicit promiscuity. Perhaps we don’t like to admit that sex is our concern?
Added 4:30p: OK, maybe there are three main types: 1) abstainers – those who don’t want promiscuity, 2) stoners – those who do want promiscuity, are willing to admit it, and use drugs to help get it, and 3) cheaters – those who want promiscuity, but aren’t willing to admit it, don’t use drugs to get it, and compete with stoners for partners. Groups 1&3 together support anti-drug laws, while groups 2&3 together keep punishments of promiscuity weak. I’m suggesting the survey used in this study measured willingness to admit to liking promiscuity, not willingness to actually be promiscuous.
Is there a link between "recreational" drug use and promiscuity? Such a link is unlikely for users of opiates, barbiturates, or tranquilizers. It also is unlikely for users of hallucinogens such as LSD or peyote. There may be a link between promiscuity and use of amphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy, etc., but it probably is less strong than the link between promiscuity and use of ethanol.
The survey, as usual, seems to be badly designed. It interviewed only college-aged young adults and a paid, self-selected group of internet users. Political orientation was based on a self-assessment question, a method that always minimizes the extremes. (For example, people who would objectively be classified as far left-liberal often call themselves slightly left of center.) The sexuality scale was partly based on the number of "non-intercourse" partners in the past three years. I cannot see how that is an indicator of acceptance of promiscuity.
This study did not ask about ethanol use. It asked specifically about marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy use, but it lumped all recreational drugs together in later survey items. The exclusion of ethanol and most categories of recreational drugs weakens the study.
My reading of the paper is that the authors first established their models and drew their conclusions, and then designed the study. Not surprisingly, their belief that attitudes about recreational drugs would correlate with reproductive strategies was supported by this study.
I don't think drugs and sex are directly related or a cause of one another, but both result from "novelty seeking".
It has been shown that persons with a high score for the trait of novelty seeking have more sexual partners over their lifetime than similar people with lower scores.
And people with lower scores for novelty seeking are more likely to be monogamous and not use drugs because they don't crave those new experiences.