Constructing Risk and Knowledge on Recreational Drugs

One of the risks associated with the development and commercialization of medicines is to provide easy access to products with a potential of diversion. Recreational use of prescription drugs and OTCs is on the rise among adolescents and young adults. Online forums are a major source of information on pharmaceutical and recreational drugs use. The objective of the present study, set in the context of the risk society, was to better understand how knowledge and risk related to recreational use of medicines are constructed on an online discussion forum, within a community of ravers. We examined the contents of the exchanges, identified the kind of knowledge participants draw upon, and tried to understand how they relate to biomedical expertise. Our analysis shows that new knowledge based on participants' experience of prescription and non prescription drugs as well as scientific information is constructed. While the forum spreads information on potentially harmful practices, it also enables participants to better evaluate risks associated with the non medical use of prescription and non prescription drugs. Adapted from the source document.