Society's Perception On Drug Use

Drugs have long been perceived as one of the biggest issues facing our country, but how did they reach that place in the public eye? The media has a staggering amount of influence on public perception of social issues, and this is evidenced in the way the media both popularized conversation surrounded drug use as well as demonized it. The media's portrayal of drug use is overwhelmingly negative, which is fine because it is an illegal act, but the desecration of those who partake in it is an unfortunate side effect which can be seen across hours and hours of media coverage of drug usage. In these clips, the various documentarians and news reporters tackle on aspects of drug use the public had no prior knowledge of, simultaneously enlightening them with new information as well as subliminally shaping the opinions they have on the matter.

This clip is picked from a broader series of programs which delves into the issue of teen drug use in suburban America and the various ways in which it can be combatted. As the majority of these programs are presented from the perspective of outsiders, teachers, lawyers and others indirectly rather than directly affected by the problem, this clip is significant for its presentation of a real-life drug user’s real-life point of view, something which was very rare in these kind of programs. In the clip, he discusses the specific things he does and doesn’t enjoy about his drug addiction, even going into the details of how he likes the needle and the way he positions it against his arm. The identity of the drug user is masked throughout the entirety of the interview, reflecting the hugely negative stigma of drugs in the public eye and the necessity of anonymity for those who wish to confess their experience. While it is interesting that the user was allowed to relay their own experience, the anonymity and the fact that Lord still controls the program and ultimately the content itself speaks to the power taken out of the addicts and into those unaffected. Ultimately this clip shows that the issue of drug addiction is a highly stigmatized one in which the addicts are portrayed as disease ridden victims instead of human beings.

This clip illustrates the uncertainty that science had with the drug LSD during this time. Scientists claimed it to be an ‘enigma’. The documentary captures this uncertainty as very dangerous. Throughout the documentary, many issues are examined of how acid could to be dangerous to its user. For the most part, this documentary does not express any favor towards the drug. But in some instances, there are claims by its users and scientists of how it can beneficial to its users. 
In this particular clip, the documentary is painting the dangers of this drug by portraying the usage of it as not only harmful, but also a drug that has many undesirable consequences. What brings meaning to this clip is how a drug like this was viewed during this time. During the 1970’s, LSD was not only a legalized, psychedelic drug but it was also widely and heavily used amongst American adults and teens. This documentary establishing the questions of how it could affect its users was very unfamiliar to the American public. The audience and the documentary share uncertainty over this issue and how it is affecting people.

As soon as the documentary starts, you are immediately shown and told a person’s opinion on T’s and Blues, a heroin substitute. I was immediately intrigued by the man’s devastating description of the drug. Not only are the drug’s effects described in explicit detail, but there are actual shots of injection and preparation of the drug. During the intro in this clip, it is explained that the drug can be obtained with a prescription from a pharmacy. The law enforcement knows that the drug is a problem akin to heroin, but there simply haven’t been any criminal charges that can warrant large scale action against it. According to the statistics cited in the clip, over 30,000 prescriptions were written at the Mohawk clinic, and junkies could waltz in get exactly what they needed, all the way down to the preparation materials. The negative reputation of the drug was emphasized made immediately transparent, yet I found it interesting that I had never heard anything of this drug before. With the measures in place today, this situation likely wouldn't even happen in current society.

While it is good that these programs shed light on an important issue which the public was largely unaware of, the manner in which they presented their findings led to the audience gaining an unconscious bias which is in no way fair and respectful of all sides of the issues. These news reports and TV programs served the knowledge in granting them knowledge, but ultimately ended up presenting them information in a skewed manner that pushed their overt agendas more than assisted the need of the general public or, most notably, those affected by the issues at hand.