Jeremy Hagins 7/08/08
How Advertising Persuades Drug Use

Today there are problems with drug-use amongst teens in school, the streets, and even in their own home. In this essay I will talk about how people are persuaded or influenced into using drugs. Some of ways people are exposed to drugs are through television commercials, magazines, newspapers, the internet and billboards.
Years ago cigarette advertisers used television commercials to persuade you to buy their product. Now through mass media, advertisers persuade people to purchase of drugs and cigarettes. Over the counter medications found at your local pharmacy, supermarket and your local corner store and all of this is possible because messages found on television ads and billboards. For instance, Tylenol helps get rid of pain as well as Advil, Bayer and other aspirins. When I watch the television, every five to ten minutes a commercial comes on about cold or pain medicine persuading people to purchase their products. They are sending subliminal messages in which cause people to rush out and purchase the item; television makes an item seem much better than it really is and some of them really do work. People can get hooked on illegal drugs as over the counter drugs.
Some of the magazines such as Vibe, Slam, and Ebony, just to name a few is also used to persuade or influence the use of drugs. In some magazines, every other page has an advertisement for liquor and cigarettes once again trying to persuade the purchasing of drugs.
In music videos kids see people smoking and they presume that as the definition of cool. This is a way people are persuaded into using drugs while there are many other ways to. There used to be commercials telling you to purchase drugs such as cigarettes but know you barely see them today. Instead of commercials telling you buy drugs there are commercials and ads telling you to pause and think about what you are about to do to your body. Even today rappers try to persuade you to stop drug use. This type of persuasion works due to the fact that rappers are famous and powerful to kids and most people look up to them as their role models.
Through the use of commercial advertisement, people believe drugs will help them think better, be part of the cool crew, become more active, or just enhance their life. Others figure that one try won't hurt but the fact is that once you start it’s hard to stop and soon you have a one- way ticket to be six feet under. On the other hand people want to fit in and they think drugs make you look "cool" among friends. Many teens use drugs to gain attention from their parents or because they are depressed or think drugs will help them escape their problems. But the truth is that drugs don't solve problems but simply hide feelings and problems. When a drug wears off, the feelings and problems remain or become worse
In this essay I showed you how commercial advertisement influenced people into purchasing drugs and alcohol due to mass media. I also talked about the different types of drugs that are broadcast and how people are fooled into buying them.