One in Three Hit Songs Contain Drug References

Posted in:
When the kids aren't sniffing poo and gobbling Aqua Dots, they're listening to drug-laced rap anthems and probably thinking about getting wasted:
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, who studied the lyrics of hundreds of popular songs, found that one in three mention alcohol or drug use.


Most lyrical references to substance use were associated with partying, sex, violence and, or humor. The use of drugs and alcohol was motivated by peer pressure, sex, and, or money. Only four songs explicitly had anti-use messages. [Reuters]
I was initially surprised by the 1 in 3 result. It sounds like a lot, hence the scare story from Reuters. But if you think about what makes a song popular, it makes perfect sense. Popular music has to resonate with the "cool" kids, and you can't win them over by singing about puppy dogs and the pleasures of sobriety.

Ultimately, drugs are just part of our popular culture and that isn't going to change. What can change is the drug war mentality that glorifies some of the worst aspects of our society. Chart-topping rap music, for example, has turned drug-dealing thugs into folk heroes. The music doesn't inspire this activity, rather it documents it, providing listeners with a window into a world that is unfamiliar to most.

Rap stars and rockers will always brag about misbehaving, and awestruck youth will always gaze curiously at this dramatic spectacle.  But tabloid headlines and sensational  lyrics aside, many of our celebrities are hardworking people who've learned to use drugs responsibly. Maybe they're not such bad role models after all.
Location: 
United States
Permission to Reprint: This article is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license.
Looking for the easiest way to join the anti-drug war movement? You've found it!

drugs & alcohol

Headlines say: "Drug use."
Story says: "Alcohol OR drug use."

I wish someone would decide if alcohol is, or isn't, a drug.

drug

Ethanol is a toxin (poison). It has been called drug for many years, by some. It has been used as a medicine to inhibit premature labor. [medicine=drug?] It can kill the very first time a person might choose to binge in college (well documented). It has the ability to induce addiction. (A complex, neuropsychiatric behavior involving craving for the substance, tha leads to social and physical harm to the one using it.) DTs (delerium tremens) is a form of alcohol withdrawal that kills. The chronic exposure, to the poison, kills the liver tissue, resulting in cirrhosis and death. I would say that qualifies for physical harm. The lives ruined and families destroyed would qualify for the social harm. Alcohol is and has been a drug. Maybe it is getting politically correct to not talk about it as such. But it does not change the facts.

Along that line. Prohibition of alcohol did not work, as the drug prohibition is not working. With alcohol regulated, people don't get sent to jail for the rest of their life for having a case of it! We still have plenty of alcoholics. But the numbers seem to say that it would NOT be much different if the "drug" was illegal. The addiction rate, to all drugs, has been steady in this country since, even before, the drug laws were passed in the early twentieth century, (somewhere around 3%?). It is questionable whether or not legalization of drugs would change that rate. I really have my doubts! Because,right now, it seems as if any person who chooses to abuse drugs or alcohol, can easily obtain them in today's drug war environment! It makes it easier for our kids to get them too. Drug dealers don't card!

Drug dealers don't...

Drug dealers can be pharmacists or farmers, or just a kid trying to pay for college. Why must the DD connotation always be negative? Because the policy makers want you to think that way. Trade is what makes the world go 'round. And the drug lords , bad as they be ,are creation of prohibition.Stigma...who needs it. Ya got the rest right tho.

reply to Drug dealers don't

I agree with you to some extent. There are some bad "drug dealers" out there but there are good one's. Yes...good ones that don't sell to young kids or teenagers. Those are the ones that are paying for there college. It is sooo expensive to try and live these days. Those "good" dealers don't do drugs themselves. Things turn out pretty ugly when you are dealing with a bad one. So many people do drugs. You have your upper/middle class dealers that deal with the upper/middle class society. The bad dealers usually deal with lower class. You would really be suprised that at least someone whom you've met in your life, that you would have never guessed, was probably a dealer at some point in there life. Sometimes all that money will lead you to the right place. However, the money is hard to leave and that's why most "good" dealers you will find in college so that they will still be making good money after leaving the drug trade. Another point as well is the type of drug you are selling. Cocaine is so common where I live in BC, as well as pot of course, we are known for our BC bud. Cocaine is the worst addiction but you would be suprised at how many upper/middle class people can handle it, only doing it when drinking. Alcoholism in my opinion ties with cocaine. It goes hand in hand. I could go on forever but I just wanted to stress the point that people shouldn't judge those "drug dealers" they all have a reason of why they are doing what they are doing. At least they are not stealing your vehicle and breaking into your home (the users do that).

..........

..........

and those are just the drug

and those are just the drug references you can recognize ;-*
drugs have been here longer than america has and they are not going anywhere.

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <img> <i> <blockquote> <p> <address> <pre> <h1> <h2> <h3> <h4> <h5> <h6> <br> <object> <param> <embed> <b>

More information about formatting options

By submitting this form, you accept the Mollom privacy policy.

Drug War Issues

Criminal JusticeAsset Forfeiture, Collateral Sanctions (College Aid, Drug Taxes, Housing, Welfare), Court Rulings, Drug Courts, Due Process, Felony Disenfranchisement, Incarceration, Policing (2011 Drug War Killings, 2012 Drug War Killings, Arrests, Eradication, Informants, Interdiction, Lowest Priority Policies, Police Corruption, Police Raids, Profiling, Search and Seizure, SWAT/Paramilitarization, Task Forces, Undercover Work), Probation or Parole, Prosecution, Reentry/Rehabilitation, Sentencing (Alternatives to Incarceration, Clemency and Pardon, Crack/Powder Cocaine Disparity, Death Penalty, Decriminalization, Drug Free Zones, Mandatory Minimums, Rockefeller Drug Laws, Sentencing Guidelines)CultureArt, Celebrities, Counter-Culture, Music, Poetry/Literature, Television, TheaterDrug UseParaphernalia, ViolenceIntersecting IssuesCollateral Sanctions (College Aid, Drug Taxes, Housing, Welfare), Violence, Border, Budgets/Taxes/Economics, Business, Civil Rights, Driving, Economics, Education (College Aid), Environment, Families, Free Speech, Gun Policy, Human Rights, Immigration, Militarization, Money Laundering, Pregnancy, Privacy (Search and Seizure, Drug Testing), Race, Religion, Sports, Women's IssuesMarijuana PolicyGateway Theory, Hemp, Marijuana -- Personal Use, Marijuana Industry, Medical MarijuanaMedicineMedical Marijuana, Science of Drugs, Under-treatment of PainPublic HealthAddiction, Addiction Treatment (Science of Drugs), Drug Education, Drug Prevention, Drug-Related AIDS/HIV or Hepatitis C, Harm Reduction (Methadone & Other Opiate Maintenance, Needle Exchange, Overdose Prevention, Safe Injection Sites)Source and Transit CountriesAndean Drug War, Coca, Hashish, Mexican Drug War, Opium ProductionSpecific DrugsAlcohol, Ayahuasca, Cocaine (Crack Cocaine), Ecstasy, Heroin, Ibogaine, ketamine, Khat, Marijuana (Gateway Theory, Marijuana -- Personal Use, Medical Marijuana, Hashish), Methamphetamine, Nicotine, Prescription Opiates (Fentanyl, Oxycontin), Psychedelics (LSD, Mescaline, Peyote, Salvia Divinorum), Synthetic Drugs (Mephedrone, Synthetic Cannabinoids)YouthGrade School, Post-Secondary School, Raves, Secondary School