The topic for my final research project is the image of drugs in the media.

I will analyze
how illegal drugs and major drug traffickers are represented in Movies. For decades,
drugs and drug trafficking have been a central theme popularized in American media and
mass consumed by our society. Since drugs are becoming such a mainstream topic in our
society in magazines, TV, news, and movies we should at least have some sort of
understanding as to how it is being presented to us in order to digest it properly.

TERMS
Cocaine- a drug created from the coca plant historically useful as a topical anesthetic but
became a popular recreational drug and a stimulant, an appetite suppressant, it increases
alertness, feelings of well-being and euphoria, energy and motor activity, feelings of
competence and sexuality. Ingested or injected.
Heroine- a drug created from the poppy plant it is medically used block receptors for
acute pain such as cancer or physical trauma. Recreationally it can be ingested or
injected as and opiot, for a numbing euphoric feeling as well as ambition, anxiousness,
and drowsiness.
D.E.A.- The Drug Enforcement Agency.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. How are major drug traffickers means and life styles portrayed in the movies?
2. How are the drugs (cocaine and heroine) and their users represented in these
movies?

DATA/SAMPLE
For my research project I will analyze four movies and try to determine weather
drugs and drug dealers in these types of films are more promoted or discouraged. The
movies I chose for my sample include: Scarface(), American Gangster(), Blow(), and
Cocaine Cowboys(). I have viewed all of these movies so I know they will be a good
representative sample but I will rent them from Hastings and watch them again in order
to do my research more thoroughly.
All of these samples include major drug trafficking rings and politics of the drug
world, as well as the benefits and repercussions of selling and using these drugs.
American Gangster is the only movie in my sample where heroine instead of cocaine
being trafficked, all the movies share the same common characteristics. I will watch all
of the movies listed make notes on how each traffickers socioeconomic background is
depicted as well as their individual personality traits; both strengths and weaknesses. I
will also interpret how the drug and drug user in each sample is represented as either
positive or negatively. After all my data is collected I will determine weather there are
favorable patterns and compare them to the articles I have found in order to show
relevance and validity.