Zipporah Jones
Staff Writer
Pop culture and substance abuse have been intertwined for decades. Now more than ever, it is common to hear about artists discussing using drugs in their songs and their performances even showcase the same thing.
As a result of this behavior from celebrities many admire, people began to accept the notion that using illegal substances are okay.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, first-time users are teenagers. The NIH reported that illicit drug use is higher among those in their late teens to the age of 20.
During the late high school and early college years, many students start to experiment with drugs, and their decision-making skills are not quite fully developed and unfortunately, it is the same group that is mostly influenced by pop culture and the media.
Shows like HBO’s “Euphoria” put viewers in the shoes of someone who is a drug user. Viewers are about to “experience” with the main character what it is like to take drugs, and the show paints it is an entertaining experience.
Rappers like Future and Young Thug often mention heavy drug usage in their songs. Young Thug states, “Hundred Percocet’s, I took like four or five off the rip”, in his song titled “Ecstasy” on his album, “So Much Fun”.
Rappers and singers often talk about using an excess number of drugs in their songs and having fun, but at what cost?
In America and the United Kingdom, drug usage is significantly higher than in other areas.
According to ourworldindata.org, as of 2018 the prevalence of substance use disorders is highest across Eastern Europe and the United States, occurring in 5-6 percent of the population. This means around 1-in-20 suffers from substance dependency.
With these statistics, it is quite possible that drug abuse and dependence may be a problem on the local level.
In schools, especially colleges, drug usage is prevalent.
Some students feel that the link between pop-culture and drug use is celebrity influence.
“A lot of people look up to certain people that they consider to be role models, and they (people) are easily influenced by their (role models) behaviors,” said Octavia Curtis, a junior communicative disorders major from Natchez, Miss.
Other students feel that the problem is not only the influence, but the popularity of drug culture.
“I think that pop culture has affected drug usage in our community in the sense that it encourages it. Despite so much awareness being brought about on drug abuse (i.e D.A.R.E.), people in our community still abuse drugs because it’s the “popular” thing to do,” said Aja Purvis, a freshman chemistry major from Jackson, Miss.
She added, “Hip-hop artists play a huge role in why drug usage holds so much weight in pop culture because they talk about it the most. It’s to the point where it’s almost romanticized, since people associate that with the artist and associate the artist with something or someone worth idolizing.”
If pop culture really is affecting the way that people in their late teens and early 20s perceive drugs, then does there need to be a change?
Yet, the question still remains—will artists ever inform their young listeners the dangers of substance abuse?
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