Marijuana Smoke Wafts Through TV Shows August 8, 2005
News Summary
A number of broadcast and cable TV shows are featuring pot-smoking characters and drug-related plot lines, the Gannett News Service reported Aug. 6.Perhaps most prominent is the new Showtime drama/comedy "Weeds," where the main character, played by Mary-Louise Parker, is a suburban mother who makes ends meet by selling marijuana. The recent premiere episode of FX's Iraq War series "Over There" featured a toking soldier, while last week's episode of HBO's "Entourage" showed a pair of teenagers lighting up at a bar mitzvah.
The drug themes drew criticism from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, which called them "irresponsible," and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America (PDFA).
"These are trendsetting shows. They affect behavior and attitudes, particularly teens. When glamorization of drugs has climbed, changes in teen attitudes followed," said PDFA spokesperson Steve Dnistrian.
"Entourage" actor Jerry Ferrara countered that the depiction of marijuana use reflects reality among people in their twenties, while "Over There" co-creator and executive producer Chris Gerolmo said "drug use is certainly part of life in the Army."
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