How news in the media affects drug use

Abstract

In this literature review I will be looking at how the news medium affects drug use and abuse. This is not limited to illicit drugs, but also medicinal ones. I did this by looking into several academic papers as well as books which either go through the theories of how the media manipulates the audience and how that is related to what the audience’s reaction to drugs is. Unfortunately, there have been no studies regarding Malta, but I did write a few paragraphs on the “Releaf Campaign” which started in October 2017. I also limited my case studies to the Western World, or countries of a Western Culture. It is apparent that the audience needs better accessibility to information about medicinal drugs. This can be done by making the information available understandable to lay people. Journalists need to be taught more extensively about which words to use in their articles, especially concerning specialist fields such as the field of medicine, where correct jargon must be used. From what the studies can tell us, it is clear that the media has a very powerful impact on how the audience perceives drug use as well as drug users. It is also clear that more research and greater awareness need to be given to this particular topic. This will help both the news media as well as Government organisations to construct better ways to tackle illicit drug issues.