Deviance is the study of irregular social behavior. While the behaviors considered in the study of deviance are sometimes referred to as "crime," sociologists see ill-regarded behaviors in a more holistic way. In sociology, drug abuse is viewed as deviant behavior. This is not passing judgment on drug users; rather, it is a way of looking at drug use in the context of a society that generally frowns on it. One possible sociology project on deviance and drugs would examine double standards used by the news media when discussing intoxicating substances, such as alcoholics "needing help" versus drug addicts requiring jail time. Another project could look at the effects of drug addiction in two countries, one where the drug in question is legal, such as marijuana in the Netherlands, and another where the drug is illegal. Such a project could use statistics from the CIA's "The World Factbook" (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/) as its source.
Language shapes our perceptions of reality. The language we use to describe social behavior influences the future behavior of the individuals in society. A sociology project on the linguistic politics of drugs can take one of many possible angles. One possible project in this direction will examine the terms used to refer to drugs in the news media, in an attempt to find double standards, such as "drugs and alcohol" instead of just "drugs". This project could consider the sociological implications of such labeling in terms of the effects it can have on drug users.
Drug addiction is but one of many types of addictive behavior. However, drug addiction is a peculiar form of addictive behavior because it comes in two forms: physical and psychological. Physical addiction is caused by chemicals interacting with the brain in such a way that causes a feeling of physical need. Psychological addiction is caused by a repeated behavior that comes to be associated with pleasure or relief. A sociology project on drug addiction can look into the root causes of addiction by examining the levels of addiction in urban housing developments compared to affluent suburbs. Such data can be obtained from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's website (cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/druguse.htm). Another variant on this project is to evaluate drug use by age, gender, ethnicity and profession using CDC data.
Institutions are among the most important topics in sociology. Because modern society revolves around human organizations and human systems, it is natural that sociology would concern itself with institutions. There are many important institutions that deal with drugs in modern society. The penal system deals with illegal drugs and the medical profession deals with controlled drugs while the pharmaceutical industry deals with both controlled and noncontrolled drugs. A project on drugs and institutions can investigate one or several institutions. For example, a project on drugs and the penal system could use CDC statistics to obtain the chances of a drug offender re-offending after a prison stay and compare these statistics to the relapse rates of alcoholics or other legal drug abusers.