Drug Panic

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how a drug panic would be fueled by the media and by attorneys bringing lawsuits for medical problems caused by prescription or non-prescription medications. The paper notes that it might be easier to create a panic over non-prescription drugs because more people take these types of medications. The paper looks at methods of spreading the word and frightening the people. The paper discusses the vital role of the media in broadcasting the 'horror stories' that seem so popular on the nightly news.

From the Paper:

"In truth, the side effects, especially the most dangerous ones, occur very rarely in a minute number of people but everyone must be warned just in case any of the side effects do occur (Reinarman & Levine, 1989). Most medications are very safe, but yet there are lawsuits and many other problems that are seen on television on an almost daily basis. This is true with prescription medications, but it is also true of non-prescription medications such as cold/cough remedies and pain relievers. These are very important to point out as well because they are so common and so many people use them. This being the case, there could be problems with a widespread panic for these kinds of drugs, too."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Goode, Erich. (19900. "The American drug panic of the 1980s: social construction or objective threat?" The International 3rournal of the Addictions, 25(9): 1083-98
• Haines, Herbert H. (1979). "Cognitive claims-making, enclosure, and the depoliticization of social problems." The Sociological Quarterly, 20 (Winter): 119-30
• Hilgartner, Stephen, & Bosk, Charles L. (1988). "The rise and fall of social problems: a public arenas model." American Journal of Sociology, 94 (July): 53-78
• Levine, Harry G. & Reinarman, Craig. (1988). "The politics of America's latest drug scare." In R. Curry (ed.), Freedom at Risk: Secrecy, Censorship, and Repression in the 1980s. Philadelphia. Temple University Press, pp. 251-8
• Reinarman, Craig, & Levine, Harry G. (1989). "The crack attack: politics and media in America's latest drug scare." In Joel Best (ed.), Images of Issues: Typifying Contemporary Social Problems. New York: Aldine de Gruyter, pp. 115-37.

More papers on Drug Panic:

• Article Review # 98134 : "Panic Disorder Research"
• Research Paper # 4547 : "Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder: The Light at the End of the Tunnel"
• Comparison Essay # 12961 : "Drug Treatment of Agoraphobia"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: