How to Tell When the Latest Drug Scare Story Is Just the Usual BS
Five hallmarks of anti-drug hysteria
Have you heard about wacko? Wacko is a highly addictive drug that is sweeping the country, leaving broken lives and dead bodies in its wake. People under the influence of wacko experience delusions and hallucinations that drive them to hurt themselves or commit bizarre crimes. They are irrationally violent and exhibit superhuman strength; it takes several men to restrain them. Wacko is different from every drug you have heard of but also strangely familiar.
Wacko, of course, does not really exist. But neither do the drugs described in breathless reports about the latest chemical menace. To be more precise, the substances may exist, but they do not have the terrifying characteristics ascribed to them by drug warriors and their accomplices in the press. Here are some clues that can help you distinguish between careful reporting and anti-drug hysteria.
Read the whole thing at Playboy.