Prescription Drug Abuse

An A but B statement states a goal or objective of an issue, then provides a condition that may prevent that goal from being accomplished.

Examples:

(A) Parents are the number one line of defense to prevent teenage prescription drug abuse, (B)but many parents are unaware of the problem and are uneducated on how to deal with it.

(A) Educating parents and teens about the risk of Rx drug abuse can help prevent teens from abusing Rx drugs, (B) but it is hard to reach parents and teens that are unaware of the issue.

( Courtesy of ahrp.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html)

  The image above is a usual form of visual rhetoric that gives a sarcastic look at the misconceptions associated with FDA approved drugs.  The warning on the bottle uses irony in an attempt to show that many FDA approved drugs are very dangerous.  Many believe that because a drug is government approved that it is safe, but this is simply not true.

 -

(Courtesy of National Survey on Drug Use and Health)

The second image is a graph regarding the use prescription pain relievers for non medical reasons.  A survey was conducted in 2005 by NSDUH to study how young adults obtained Rx drugs for non medical use.  The graph shows an overwhelming number of young adults get Rx pain relievers from family or relatives for free.  I feel this image is a good piece of visual rhetoric because when you see the bars on the graph compared, you really understand where this problem is stemming from and where the solution lies…at home.

(Courtesy of Cirque Lodge)

This rhetorical image shows a young girl who seems strung out and depressed.  These kinds of images are frequently used by anti-drug use organizations to show the mental anguish that drugs can do to a person.  This image also works well in regards to my audience, parents of teens, because no parent wants their son or daughter to look or feel like this.  This image can really target a parents pathos.

Parents:  The Anti Drug

This is a great website designed for parents to get information about teen drug abuse and how to prevent it. 

A Partnership for a Drug Free America

A very informative website with tons of facts and statistics.

Erowid

An informative unbiased all-drug related website.

Office of National Drug Control Policy

The ONDCP is a component of the Executive Office of the government whos principal purpose “is to establish policies, priorities, and objectives for the Nation’s drug control program”.