Drugs in the Hills: Film Depictions of the Reality of Drug Addiction in Appalachia

• In Event: Media Representations of Drugs and Addiction

Abstract

Articles on drug addiction appear daily on front pages of small town newspapers across Appalachia. Many believe that prescription pill abuse now exists at an “epidemic” level within the region. Due to this, many in the region continue to face oppressive and punitive policies geared towards ending the epidemic. However, most of these programs do nothing more than perpetuate the issue and lead to further social oppression. Film depictions of this issue, whether intentional or not, provide fuel to the fire surrounding the push for such policies. Film creations of the “rural Appalachian deviant” do nothing but provide a means of otherizing this particular group while also giving way to more punitive policies to punish them. The following reviews the creation of the mythos around the rural Appalachian deviant in films while also demonstrating how such reproductions provide support for the continued pursuit of punitive based drug policies within the region.

Author

• Stephen Toppings Young, Old Dominion University