Compare Media Attention Paid to Certain Kinds of Drug Use

question 15

Essay

Compare media attention paid to certain kinds of drug use over,say,the past century,and compare that paid to other drugs,then "match" the volume of each with respect to clear-cut harms-for instance,death by overdose.Consider that the benzodiazepines (tranquilizers such as Valium)and the antidepressants rank in the top five drugs that cause death by overdose,yet methamphetamine and amphetamine do not appear on this list at all (nor does marijuana).What do you think accounts for this discrepancy? Are all the reasons "constructionist" in nature-that is,not based on the objective harms of the drugs in question at all? Or are concrete,objectivistic reasons behind these discrepancies as well?

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Definitions:

Sensory Storage

Refers to the very short-term storage of sensory information, a part of memory that allows individuals to retain impressions of sensory information after the original stimulus has ceased.

Long-term Storage

The aspect of memory where information is kept for extended periods, potentially for a lifetime.

Neurons Change

The process by which neurons alter their structure, function, or connections, often in response to learning or experience.

Filter Theory

A perspective in social psychology suggesting that social and cognitive processes filter the stimuli we pay attention to, impacting our perception and interactions.