The Heroin Hype: Serious Issue or Moral Panic?

• In Event: Pushing the Panic Button: Societal Influences on the Criminal Justice System

Abstract

There have been a variety of drug panics over the past century, many resulting in detrimental public policy initiatives. Currently, many parts of the nation are under the threat of what the media has labeled a “heroin epidemic”. Due to this, varying policies have been enacted, including anti-heroin initiatives by both federal and state policing agencies, an example being the “Push Out the Pusher” campaign moving through Pennsylvania. With policies like this in mind, are we headed down the same slippery slope of past drug panics? This study will focus on mapping out the trends of heroin use by analyzing state and national statistics, while also examining policy and media effects. Policy implications will also be discussed.

Author

• Shavonne Arthurs, Indiana University of Pennsylvania