Youth, drugs, Internet discourse: a new arena of community and citizenship

In the general public, legislative initiatives, and research agendas, the sociopolitical problem of drug use has been hotly debated. The uses of the Internet have been at least as ardently discussed. These two concerns have merged in the worry over the seeking and gaining of dangerous information, the issue of privacy, and both marginal and mainstream social movement politics. Spaces where youth in particular are exposed to communication about illegal and/or dangerous drug practices are spaces that encourage, teach, disseminate, and model these practices are of major concern to professionals in health care, policy-making, crime control, and education. There is an interpretation that websites where drug information is offered and/or discussed are themselves the gateways to,gateway drugs., However, a counter interpretation exists that sees these sites and the discourses and practices they model as equally about initiating youth into the responsible practice of community and citizenship. This work was supported by NIDA Grant # I R21 DA14882-01.