The intent of this paper is to offer another focus in the quagmire of drug education. The author is convinced that current drug education approaches are failing to help stem the tide of drug use and misuse because their goals, expectations and methodologies are irresponsible and ill-informed. He advocates the abandonment of all drug education attempts that begin and end with a discussion of drugs and their effects. Rather than teach people about drugs, this author maintains that we should stress education of the self. Our goal should not be to convince people not to do drugs, but, rather, to help them to think intelligently and rationally, to control their destructive impulses, to make wise decisions, to resist peer pressure when it endangers one's welfare or inhibits one's growth, to understand their values, needs and desires, and to find non-chemical means of fulfillment and satisfaction. Further, the writer recommends that methodologies utilizing admonishment, indoctrination, persuasion, distortion, and fear be abandoned. The point is made that in a society as complex, dynamic and perplexing as the American society, we must offer our young people opportunities to develop the personal, intellectual and emotional resources to live meaningfully, responsively and responsibly in a new world. It is concluded that educators must abandon drug education and attempt new and unproven means of helping young people develop in a dynamic, confusing, and sometimes disturbing world.
Representations of Psychoactive Drugs’ Use in Mass Culture and Their Impact on Audiences
