Carmine
08-09-2004, 09:39
I feel a little silly mentioning this, but has anyone else suffered the misfortune of watching the ham-fisted and ill-informed treatment of the drugs issue in Hollyoaks at the moment?
I watched for the past two nights and saw a teenage character who had just found out that his father committed suicide take up smoking cannabis one day and wake up as what can only be described as an apathetic "Zammo-esque" mess the next.
The plotline seems to be intended to probe the use of drugs as an escape from reality and the process of developing dependency on the altered state of mind they provide. But in reality the script seems to make little sense and to have been poorly researched.
For one thing, the kid on cannabis smokes one joint and then just can't stop. I have known many cannabis users in my time, and while some people might develop such an addiction instantly, not one of them has been seen to chain-smoke spliffs day and night.
The effects of cannabis seem to have been overlooked as well as in his supposedly "stoned" state, the character engages in very energetic outbursts of aggression and even manages to demolish his father's tombstone with a heavy impliment. Anyone who has absorbed that much cannabis, in my experience, would either be comatose, eating takeaway or talking utter crap.
Also, when confronted by concerned friends and neighbours, the camera presented a view suppoosedly that of the dope-head that was blurred and warped the speech of the other actors. I have partaken of cannabis in my time, and that's never happened to me or any friend of mine.
All in all the character behaves more like he is heavily drunk. Anyone in their right mind will tell you that alcohol is addictive, disorients the senses and causes people to be more prone to aggressive behaviour. While cannabis may be addictive, it is not renowned for its ability to provoke violence, quite the opposite.
But perhaps the explanation for the warping of conventional wisdom on the subject stems from the treatment of alcohol in the soap. In each episode the consumption of this legal drug is glorified by a catalogue of loutish behaviour, pub cluture and casual binge drinking. Even the token alcoholic character is aloowed to conveniently recover and relapse with little incident and no implications for his family and career. The hypocrisy really is quite stunning.
I watched for the past two nights and saw a teenage character who had just found out that his father committed suicide take up smoking cannabis one day and wake up as what can only be described as an apathetic "Zammo-esque" mess the next.
The plotline seems to be intended to probe the use of drugs as an escape from reality and the process of developing dependency on the altered state of mind they provide. But in reality the script seems to make little sense and to have been poorly researched.
For one thing, the kid on cannabis smokes one joint and then just can't stop. I have known many cannabis users in my time, and while some people might develop such an addiction instantly, not one of them has been seen to chain-smoke spliffs day and night.
The effects of cannabis seem to have been overlooked as well as in his supposedly "stoned" state, the character engages in very energetic outbursts of aggression and even manages to demolish his father's tombstone with a heavy impliment. Anyone who has absorbed that much cannabis, in my experience, would either be comatose, eating takeaway or talking utter crap.
Also, when confronted by concerned friends and neighbours, the camera presented a view suppoosedly that of the dope-head that was blurred and warped the speech of the other actors. I have partaken of cannabis in my time, and that's never happened to me or any friend of mine.
All in all the character behaves more like he is heavily drunk. Anyone in their right mind will tell you that alcohol is addictive, disorients the senses and causes people to be more prone to aggressive behaviour. While cannabis may be addictive, it is not renowned for its ability to provoke violence, quite the opposite.
But perhaps the explanation for the warping of conventional wisdom on the subject stems from the treatment of alcohol in the soap. In each episode the consumption of this legal drug is glorified by a catalogue of loutish behaviour, pub cluture and casual binge drinking. Even the token alcoholic character is aloowed to conveniently recover and relapse with little incident and no implications for his family and career. The hypocrisy really is quite stunning.