Chaos with Drugs and Media

 Majority of the time drugs such as cigarettes, alcohol and beer are often promoted on commercials when they can harm your body. Media tends to only promote the drugs that are in stores and that is mainly because of money. Most people are exposed of drugs because of a movie or a commercial. In some commercials cigarettes are promoted as a stress reliever and said to give much pleasure. As you can see in the picture to the left, the couple is smiling and the male has a cigarette in his hand. The woman seems fascinated at the fact that the male has a cigarette and they look happy. This picture costs a good amount of money to promote, but it also brings in a lot of money. More than $25 billion is spent on advertising tobacco, alcohol, and prescription drugs per year. However, the more these drugs are promoted the more these drugs are consumed. People automatically think that its okay to buy these drugs because they are under the impression of whatever
 they see from the media. " I started smoking when I was 13 or 14 years old, from the pressure and desire to be cool.", a former smoker named Suzy stated after a interview. (http://www.etsu.edu/tips/education/cessation/stories.aspx) Most smokers were influenced because it look like the cool thing to do and the were addicted ever since.
 

The video above explains how drugs are promoted even though they fail to share all information on the drugs. Media makes sure that they are portraying a good look on the drug. They don't make positive commercials on illegal drugs such as heroine or weed, for example. However, the drugs are still being promoted on movies and songs. People see in movies that certain drugs makes you "feel good" or "look cool" and they decide they want to use the drug to have that feeling. When people see their favorite movie star taking a drug then it gets more people doing it, which causes drug dealers to make more money. So either way it goes the drugs are still being promoted. Well because these drugs aren't sold in stores, the media tends to make commercials and ads saying that these drugs are bad. They make sure to give all information about these drugs to let the people know these drugs are bad, when reality is that all drugs are bad, not only illegal drugs. 

In the picture to the left they are saying that marijuana will ruin your life, but in the Newport picture it seems as if smoking the Newport will bring you pleasure. The simple fact is that both drugs should be portrayed as bad because they both harm your body and ruin your life. However, there are medical beneficial facts about marijuana and it can be prescribed. Most people believe what they see on television, so they turn to the Newport even though cigarettes are worst. There are people and media that know the truthful facts about drugs and they are trying to keep people from doing the drugs regardless the money. Parents, schools and federal government are telling people to say no to drugs. Just like promoting them to do the drugs, $25 billion is spent on promoting the media on saying no to drugs also. There are multiple programs that are anti-drug and they go to schools to teach kids about the dangers of drugs. "It's been a passion of mine to educate people on drugs and alcohol, especially students because they're our future.", a teenager named Shelby Rubalcaba in a program that talks about drugs stated. (http://www.nbc11news.com/home/headlines/Teens-teaching-teens-about-the-dangers-of-drugs-247931331.html) It's very difficult to try and keep kids away from drugs when its all around them. A teen can go from drug free to a drug addict in a minimum amount of time, they want to be what they see on television, they want to feel good and look cool. The media just makes it worse promoting drugs and alcohol on television because people watch TV everyday and they buy what they see.

 http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/126/4/791.full 
 http://www.democracynature.org/vol5/fotopoulos_media.htm