TY - JOUR PY - 2020// TI - Just say know: drug education and its publics in 1980s Britain JO - International journal on drug policy A1 - Mold, Alex SP - e103029 EP - e103029 VL - 88 IS - N2 - Until the 1980s, anti-drug education campaigns in the UK were rare. This article examines the reasons behind a policy shift that led to the introduction of mass media drug education in the mid 1980s. It focuses on two campaigns. 'Heroin Screws You Up' ran in England, and 'Choose Life Not Drugs' ran in Scotland. The campaigns were different in tone, with 'Heroin Screws You Up' making use of fear and 'shock horror' tactics, whereas 'Choose Life Not Drugs' attempted to deliver a more positive health message. 'Heroin Screws You Up' was criticised by many experts for its stigmatising approach. 'Choose Life Not Drugs' was more favourably received, but both campaigns ran into difficulties with the wider public. The messages of these campaigns were appropriated and deliberately subverted by some audiences. This historical policy analysis points towards a complex and nuanced relationship between drug education campaigns and their audiences, which raises wider questions about health education and its 'publics'.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0955-3959 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.103029 ID - ref1 ER -