DISCUSSION 5
Knowing what we know about drug use and harmspecifically that legal drugs kill vastly more users than illegal drugsexplain the disjunction between the volume of media attention paid to the latter versus the former. Try to discuss this matter objectively rather than moralistically. What makes death as a result of use of an illicit drug more newsworthy than death as a result of an illegal drug?
EXERCISE 5
Assignment Prompt
Discuss the various claims that the media made regarding the effects of specific drugs between the 1930s and the 2000s that were factually incorrect. Why were these claims made, how were they corrected, and have they died down now that the factual record has been set straight regarding these drugs?
Why is the distinction between factual bias and selection bias in the reporting of news stories about drugs and drug use? Be specific, be detailed, and use examples.
DISCUSSION 6
Why do you think such a strong relationship exists between the consumption of alcohol and engaging in risky, deviant behavior? Why or why not.
EXERCISE 6
Assignment Prompt
One of the most striking and influential developments that has taken place in the sphere of public health in the past 40 years or so has been the sharp decline in cigarette smoking. Why has smoking declined and how is it socially patterned?
Do you think that cigarette smoking is still “sublime,” as some say it once wasthat is, alluring, romantic, dangerous, and sexy? How has this image changed over the past generation?
READ CHAPTER 5 AND 6 BOOK DRUGS IN AMERICA SOCIETY 10TH EDITION