Rehab for the media

Drugs are cool, right now.
Really really cool.

And they are cool, even with my uncoolness saying that they are cool. This is all down to the media. You can't go past the media and marketing of such products that keeps them, without sponsoring or paying for anything, in the public eye for decades.

You can see a newspaper, website or women’s checkout magazine without some mention of this star or that star being tested for drugs, photographed taking drugs, caught driving into a rehab on drugs or transporting them overseas taped to your waist. Hell, if you want to go looking for a dealer of any kind track down a TV channel news team and watch where who they go to.

The marketing team for drugs are on a winner. They can't lose. They have everyone speaking about them on a daily basis, going to schools informing kids about them, putting it on there favourite websites, even some insane people writing blogs about them. They don't have to lobby the government, the politicians are chasing after them as much as possible.

The poorer, lesser brothers and sisters of the industry are shut out, mentioned occasionally, and locked from all this attention. I mean, junk food is trying to get the whole bad image on the national agenda with the obesity epidemic but do you hear Amy Winehouse heading into rehab because she can't stop herself from buying an ounce or two and relaxing on chocolate. Outlawing it for school kids is always a good start. Even Caffeine itself is trying to get some street credibility but with anyone able to throw down a warm cup of coffee it's doesnt have the edge and just like Robin with Batman it's often relegated behind its offsider cigarettes (which will kill you apparently).

The only thing cooler than drugs is sex, and to beat sex at it's own game (it has a considerably amount of media clout to say the least) I think drug needs to enter the swearing arena. Already it has some inroads with insults like a 'drugged up junky'. You need to have the single syllable key word, something that sounds sinister but edgy enough to be used as a one off. You need some LAPD officers yelling ‘Oh, Crack’ when they run out of donuts in a car chase or Angelina Jolie and some fifteen year old Hollywood upcoming actor yelling ‘Ice you’ at each other before kissing each other and marrying off set.

Still it’s got a pretty good media image.
Maybe someone should start charging for it.