MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

Ten years ago, HBO offered a radical vision of decriminalization and the tolerance of illegal drugs via The Wire’s third season storyline about “hamsterdam” (3.03-3.12, 2004). The series, which for five seasons depicted the illegal drug trade and policing in Baltimore from both sides of the law, is unusual for its critical drug policy discourse among a sea of television programming offering support for drug war ideology. Since The Wire premiered in 2002, there have been several other narratively complex television programs to offer their own alternative depictions of the illicit drug trade and the war on drugs (most notably Showtime’s Weeds and AMC’s Breaking Bad). This past decade (recent years most notably) has also seen a tremendous shift in popular attitudes regarding drug prohibition policies. While the change is most pronounced with regard to marijuana policies, a steadily increasing number of people are expressing disillusionment with the war on drugs more broadly.

While several factors have undoubtedly contributed to this shift in attitudes, it is reasonable to assume that such counterhegemonic television narratives have played a part. This research will consider the reception of The Wire (and perhaps other similarly complex television narratives about the drug trade) in an attempt to better understand how, if at all, such narratives contribute to changes in attitudes and beliefs regarding the moral appropriateness of drug prohibition policies. The research will rely on both a survey and a few focus group discussions. While the survey will address multiple television programs (as well as other factors) in conjunction with opinions regarding drugs and drug policy, the focus groups will be with individuals who have watched The Wire.