Role of media in influencing public opinion on Substance use.

Most Canadians get information about substance dependence from the news media, large bodies of communication and broadcasting. The authors of The Stigma of Addiction explain that news media coverage can implicitly influence audiences’ attitudes toward individuals experiencing substance dependence. In this sense, media has a strong influence on how the public perceives substance dependence. The following are some perspectives on how media influence public opinion on substance use:

• The Stigma of Addiction demonstrated that most news media coverage frequently links substance dependence with crime, poverty, illness, violence, depravity, and social and economic ruin. This in part undoubtedly creates sustained public stigmatization surrounding substance dependence.
• Stigmatization & Media explains that news media frequently link individuals dependent on substances with various perspectives of violence, public disorder, poverty and trafficking, but leaves aside any social or psychological aspects that affect them mentally. It is imperative that news media also covers mental reprimands of substance use that affect dependent individuals’ thoughts, schemas, actions, values, and beliefs, and collectively combines to recreate or depersonalize their reality.
• "A Deadly Game of Russian Roulette": Exploring the Framing of The Opioid Crisis in Canadian News Media explains that drug dealers and traffickers (both nationally and foreign) were negatively framed by the media. This has the effect of perpetuating societal discourses around the victimization of users and the criminalization of drug dealers, despite the evidence suggesting that the majority of opioid-related harms result from prescription opioids
• Reporting on the opioid crisis (2000–2018): role of The Globe and Mail, a Canadian English-language newspaper in influencing public opinion is a study in which of all 650 articles, 22.3% (n= 145) referred to general statements of risk as evidence to support their claims and only 15.2% (n = 99) of articles referred to some form of scientific study as evidence.
• Framing Science: How Opioid Research Is Presented in Online News Media ****presented that news media have often lack scientific research findings in their mainstream news coverage. They suggested that overall, opioid-related news was seldom contextualized, with few stories including details or bibliographic information about the studies they referenced. But the valid science frame, in particular, was often communicated by omitting details about the research referenced, rather than highlighting them.
• Reporting on the opioid crisis (2000–2018): role of The Globe and Mail, a Canadian English-language newspaper in influencing public opinion explains that from 2009 to 2018, the use of stigmatizing language such as “junkies” and “abusers” in reviewed newspaper articles declined, as did the term “drug addict”. In 2012, the emergence of the terms “user” and “drug user” were used, and from 2016 onwards, the use of less stigmatizing terminology such as “people who use drugs” or “people who suffer from addiction” were used.

Hence, it seems imperative that the media changes its approach in how they depict and frames individuals with substance use disorder. Not only do media play an important role in shaping public discourse on critical events and issues, but they also have the ability to set agendas. If media showcases substance dependence in a supportive and progressive light, the stigma can be reduced surrounding substance use. The following links provide instances that demonstrate how/why the stigma around substance use should be reduced by media.

Reporting on the opioid crisis (2000–2018): role of The Globe and Mail, a Canadian English-language newspaper in influencing public opinion (https://media.springernature.com/full/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1186%2Fs12954-020-00443-7/MediaObjects/12954_2020_443_Fig2_HTML.png?as=webp)

• Stigmatization & Media is a comprehensive NGO guide to how media can remove the stigma surrounding substance dependence and provides various tips for stigma removal.
• Public support for harm reduction: A population survey of Canadian adults is a study that predicted that greater media exposure to harm reduction in substance use was associated with lesser stigmatized attitudes towards individuals suffering from substance use disorder, which in turn was associated with greater support for harm reduction.
• Drug policy and addiction media kit give newsrooms a resource for better coverage of drug use talks about a Media kit for media & communicators on how to avoid stigmatizing language when reporting on substance use.

Public Opinion

• A vast majority of Canadians view the opioid issue as a problem for Canada (87%) and a majority (66%) view it as a serious issue or as a crisis. This shows that Canadians are watching this issue and seeking a government that will take steps to address it. (See figure1.)

• Figure 2 shows that while a strong majority of Canadians approve of supervised injection sites and an overwhelming majority approve of compulsory treatment programs, the Canadian public remains - slightly - opposed to the idea of decriminalization of all drugs

• Figure 3 shows the effect that firsthand experience with the opioid crisis has on the support for different approaches to address the crisis. It showcases that those with firsthand experience (either knowing someone who has struggled or struggled themselves) are far more likely to support decriminalization.

• Figure 4 demonstrates that Canadians do not believe that the previous, penalizing approach to the drug crisis was effective and supports a shift to a public health approach.

                                            Figure 1. 

                                                 Figure2

                                              Figure 3. 

                                               Figure 4. 

Business Owners Becoming Harm Reduction Advocates

As the opioid crisis continues to worsen across the nation, businesses have urged greater harm reduction policies by the government. In an interview with Amir Ali of Daily Hive, Jackie Haliburton, the owner of storefront Angel Vancouver has expressed her dissatisfaction with the city as she states, “the city is grossly out of touch when it comes to business owners like her struggling with theft and vandalism”. Business owners in the area exhibited great compassion and understanding of the complex issues that reside in the Downtown Eastside region, however, Haliburton states that the city has done little to support those that are suffering from substance dependency as there is a lack of treatment and recovery services provided. As a result, businesses owners have demonstrated strong leadership in supporting harm reduction approaches and voicing for a safe supply rollout. In the article released by Jeff Labine of Edmonton Journal, it is said that hundreds of businesses in Canada have scaled up harm reduction initiatives at their establishments by completing training for Naloxone administration in case an overdose situation should ever arise.

<aside> 💡 Check Below: To Read What Some Businesses Have Done As A Response To The Opioid Crisis

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