Virtually a drug scare: Mephedrone and the impact of the Internet on drug news transmission

Abstract Background On the 16th April 2010 the drug mephedrone was outlawed in the UK. This followed news media reports of deaths linked to the drug. In many respects the mephedrone scare represented a familiar pattern of drug framing and legislative reaction. However, the mephedrone scare took plac...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The International journal of drug policy 2012-05, Vol.23 (3), p.198-209
Main Author: Forsyth, Alasdair J.M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Audience
Audiences
Death
Discourse
Dissemination
Drug policy
Drug scare
Drugs
Ecstasy
Fatalities
Female
Framing
Google, Inc
Heroin
Humans
Information Dissemination
Internal Medicine
Internet
Male
Mass Media
Media
Medical Education
Mephedrone
Methamphetamine - adverse effects
Methamphetamine - analogs & derivatives
Middle Aged
News
News Coverage
News media
Purchasing
Stimulants
Stocks
Street Drugs - adverse effects
Traffic
Traffic flow
United Kingdom
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Summary:Abstract Background On the 16th April 2010 the drug mephedrone was outlawed in the UK. This followed news media reports of deaths linked to the drug. In many respects the mephedrone scare represented a familiar pattern of drug framing and legislative reaction. However, the mephedrone scare took place in the era of online news transmission. Methods To quantify the mephedrone scare the Google Internet search-engine's Trends and News applications were monitored from when the first death was attributed to the drug until 1 year after it was banned. Results Web interest in buying mephedrone peaked when online news stories reported deaths from the drug. Eighteen alleged mephedrone deaths were identified from online news. The fatalities which received the most Internet traffic subsequently proved false-alarms. Online interactive media widened access to alternative explanations of these alleged mephedrone deaths. Conclusion It is contended that the advent of the Internet accelerated and inflated the mephedrone scare, but also that online media allowed [web] user-generated information transmission, rather than simple dissemination by news media to audience, fostering competing discourses to stock drug scare themes as they emerged.
ISSN:0955-3959
1873-4758
DOI:10.1016/j.drugpo.2011.12.003