Propaganda Film: Reefer Madness

By far, marijuana is considered the most widely used illicit drug (DeSimone, 1998). Reefer Madness is a fictional drama filled propaganda film centralized on a narcotic known as violent, deadly and dangerous – marijuana. The film opens up more so with what marijuana is and why it should be deterred. The purpose of this film was to sufficiently highlight the horrendous toll that the drug marijuana has on youth. Alongside singlehandedly bringing awareness of the frightful toll to youth, there is the intent to strongly express the need of education on the subject of narcotics. Reefer Madness was profoundly effective when it was released due to the current era it was released in which was an anti-marijuana era. During this era and years before

The use and effects of marijuana were seemingly becoming an issue therefore the reefer madness campaign was an educational advocacy. On the other hand, getting Reefer Madness to have the same successful effect in 2018 would be the ultimate challenge. Once fascinating rationale is to thoroughly look at the generations we are dealing with when comparing why there was a well working effect during the time of release compared to it not having the same effect now. Released in 1936, Reefer Madness falls right in the middle of the silent generation (roughly 1925-1945). Seeing as though those born in the silent generation were relatively young in age, the ideal or target generation this film was intended for would be those born in the greatest generation (roughly 1910-1924). Individuals born in the greatest generation are known to show core values such as discipline, meaning stellar adherence to rules and did not question authority as well as trusting in the government (West Midland Family Center, n.d.). This is of importance to the film and its release date because youth in that generation were more on the path of law and order, if there was a

Prescription drugs can range from but is not limited to pain relievers, tranquilizers, sedative and stimulants (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2015). If there were a film to be made which is to be similar to Reefer Madness, I would target prescription drugs because they are at an all-time high for abuse right now (Compton & Volkow, 2006). Information that I would be sure to convey to the audience is information about prescription drugs, the detrimental effects and high level of abuse as well as provide up to date statistics on the use by high school and college students. In all, prescription drugs could be anything falling under the categories of opioids, depressants or stimulants. Majority are depressants and are typically used to treat anxiety, relieve tension or assist individuals with sleep disorders. Whereas stimulants have psychological and physiological effects having the effect of increasing one’s ability to pay attention but also raises the heart rate and blood pressure (Gaines & Kremling, 2014; The National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2017). Opioids are then used to relieve pain but can cause constipation and sleepiness as well as a long list of other short-term effects (The National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2017). Now as you can see, each drug has its side effects these side effects can easily worsen when prescription drugs are misused. Methods of improper use could be taking