Tronica, a campaign to de-stimgatise drug users and dissolve stereotypes would be interesting, but I wonder with what outcome in mind?

Could it raise awareness that 'everyday' people also use drugs as an avenue to show that the guy in the gutter with an itchy stutter is actually NOT there because of drugs.

Or would it build a case for de-criminalisation of some substances? 
 
Your post also made me think about the use of cartoon people in the Nice People Take Drugs video. The use if cartoon people made it funny, but probably further stereotyped people?

great post tronica. i just think that alot of the stigma around drug users stems from the lack of knowledge that ppl have about drugs.

the less ppl know the scarier it is for them...

hey pauli, i reckon you're dead on.  ignorance leads to fear and stigma on so many topics.  

...but do you also think that by creating a fear of the people who take drugs and what they are capable of *think about the media coverage of the ice epidemic* that authorities believe it will stop 'nice'people from doing drugs?

I find it interesting how provocative the statement 'nice people do drugs' is.  Of COURSE some of the people who do drugs are nice.  There are a lot of people in the world and most of them are nice if you're a bit open-minded, in the sense that they don't hurt people or steal, they love their family, are polite to pretty much everyone and work hard.  And loads of people who take drugs fall into that category.  

@jano  yeah authorities probably do use that logic to some extent don't they.  just demonise the whole thing.  but maybe its also hard for a person to separate the concepts.

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I imgaine that the folks behind the advertising knew that there was a chance that the ad would be taken down. But that the debate it created would raise more awareness. I really like the concept and the way it enables the public to view drugs from a different perspective.

like olived, I guess the main question for me is, what's the purpose?

If it is to lead to decriminalisation, that's one thing, but does stigma  really matter?

Maybe if stigma stopped people who wanted to stop taking a particular drug from telling others that would be one thing. 

But if you're doing OK, does it matter what other more judgemental people think, and why would they need to know if you took drugs anyway?

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Thanks for the comments. I agree that the stigma people have towards drug users is a result of lack of knowledge - absolutely.

It's true that this campaign makes us think about the power of the words we use (or choose not to use). People who read this as 'all people who take drugs are nice' may not like it, but that isn't what the statement says. As Moki put it, 'of course, some people of the people who do drugs are nice'. It is the ignorance or denial of this fact that the campaign seeks to address, in my opinion.

anni's comment 'does stigma matter?' is intriguing - why does it matter what other people think of us and how they treat us? It's a good question. For people who are 'doing ok', stigma may not be important. But what about if you are arrested, need hospitalisation, treatment, etc.? Thousands of people are arrested each year in Australia for drug possession. I think this is when it matters more, even for people who are recreational users.

There will be research soon published on the "personal well being" of regular ecstasy users (REU) in Australia. So this looks at not if REU are nice but if they are 'happy'- slightly on a tangent

Key findings from 756 Australian REUs

• The overall quality of life reported by Australian Regular Ecstasy Users (REU), as measured by the Australian Unity Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI), were lower compared to the general Australian population, with REU also reporting less satisfaction with their standard of living, health and life achievements.
• Unemployment and recent bingeing were associated with decreases in overall PWI scores among REU, indicating less overall life satisfaction
• Completion of year 12 was associated with an increase in overall PWI scores among REU, indicating more overall life satisfaction
• In general, changes in the self-reported quality of life of REU are more closely linked with variations in their socio-economic circumstances than their patterns of drug use.  

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Thanks apothecary

It all hinges on what is meant by 'nice'. If, by nice, we mean everyday people just like 'you and me', generally working and/or studying... then Australian ecstasy research demonstrates this to be true. Most ecstasy users are working and/or studying. Most are, by most standards, just normal people, who also used drugs.

Perhaps the campaign should  have been 'normal people take drugs' - 'normal' probably has as many problems defining as 'nice', though!

As to your data regarding personal well being of ecstasy users, can I ask if you compared wellbeing of the sample of ecstasy users with a subsample of the general population who have similar characteristics? (age, gender, etc). We know that younger people tend to give lower rates of wellbeing than older people without considering drug use.

Hi Tronica
Comparison was made to the Australian population aged 18-25 years old (this age group accounts for 72% of the study population and their "median" age was 22yo). i will post the link to the document when it is published in Dec. I think its interesting that drug use didnt impact on their well being as much as things like unemployment.

You're right, that's the finding of most interest. Drug use, in and of itself, is not associated with lower personal wellbeing. Other social determinants of health and happiness *are* associated with personal wellbeing, which tells me that helping people move through unemployment and difficult life circumstances is the more important task to focus on.

Thanks for sharing your research!

Really cool that you bloggers are logging in and replying to us.  Makes this much more interesting.  Thanks for that! 

No problem Moki - I'm equally happy there are comments to reply to :)

I think it's good to have any kind of exposure. Anything that makes people think again about drugs is a good thing. Legality is not a substitute for morals, though it would be nice if they were more in parallel.

There are good people and bad people.  Drugs include tobacco and alcohol.  lots of nice people enjoy a bev or 2 with a sly durrie, thus nice people take drugs....

....expand that to illegal drugs and whatever stats you believe, being nice is not exclusive nor a pre-requisite for drug use.

taking pills is "worse" than booze due to its illegal status, thus stigmatised, black market raquet etc. 

however legally, its "worse" to evade tax, so go figure...is drug use that bad, and does taking an illegal drug stop you being nice?

A war on drugs win elections and gets funding from conservatives....thus its bad, mkay

Nope....so nice people take drugs.