The social construction of drug debates

Drug debates normally proceed without scrutiny of why the particular issues being debated are considered the crucial issues. One plausible influence on the terms of debates is the interest groups involved. Four drug debates are addressed in this paper: neuroleptics, drugs in sport, analgesics and marijuana. The key interest groups and their likely influence on the terms of debates are examined. The implication of this analysis is that more attention should be directed to the terms of drug debates rather than just arguing within those terms.