The drug dealers control the conversation on either side of the legal economy/illegal-underground economy based on abused substances. The only conversation they seem to allow is giving the consumer enough information to make a buying decision and reinforce brand loyalty. In the underground economy this happens without advertising. In the aboveground economy this happens at the rate of $3000 + a minute. ($2-billion a year 1995 Advertising Age Stat) In strict dollars, we're outspent, within a cultural context of the "Golden Rule" i.e. thems that gots the gold makes the rules. I use something more powerful than advertising at least on the individual level. Let's face it, the promotion of addictions of all kinds are major underpinnings of our economy and parts of our society. To be non-addictive is to actively resist that on a daily basis. I might pose the notion that our addictive society is fairly young, and there is some merit in recreating the non-addictive norms of some of our ancestors and infusing them with the scientific findings of the present. You know what I'd like to hear a conversation about?......What colleges and universities are doing about faculty and staff use and abuse? As a substance abuse treatment professional I am held to a much stricter standard of ethics and behavior, than my academic colleagues. In my field you don't work unless you have resolved your issues. In higher ed I have noted a marked reluctance to even broach the subject of staff addiction. Theoretically we are supposed to be role models. Is anyone suggesting that compared to students, staff problems are low to nonexistent? Students report consistently several faculty every year intoxicated in the classroom. What have you found to be useful for this problem?
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