1998 MAP NEWS ANALYSIS

In part one of my look at the articles we have archived (
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v99.n168.a04.html ) we looked at the
location of the articles, that is where they took place. In this post, we
take a look at what they were about.

But first, you should note that 792, or 6.8 % of the 1998 articles, and 396
or 8.5% of the items posted were published Letters to the Editor (LTE). We
suspect that this is only a little more than half the letters published as
a result of reader's efforts, as the follow thru tracking for results is
not always as good as it could be, plus some media sources on the web do
not carry their published letters, only the news.

Encouraging folks to write LTEs is a significant part of the MAP effort of
"Moving the Discourse on Drugs from Hysteria to Sanity and Humanity." so
besides being in the news archives, the published letters are also in a
special archives where they can serve as examples and sources of material
for letter writers. The Letters archive is at:

http://www.mapinc.org/lte/

When you look at the list below you may think that a subject has not been
covered by the clipping service as well as you would like. If so, please
help us to find the news items that fit. Instructions and standards for
newshawking are at:

http://www.mapinc.org/hawk.htm

The alphabetical list of words below is not all inclusive, but based on a
number of lists and suggestions from our editors, newshawks and friends.
Thus there may be important words we simply missed.

You may see patterns in the list, and changes that may appear significant
between the 1998 percents and the ones for 1997. I suggest not reading more
into the figures than is there. One good newshawk going after items on a
subject could in a short time make a difference in the number of items.
Perhaps when we do this again next year we will start to see some real trends.

Following the word searched on is the count for 1998 and the percent. Then
following a | is the count for 1997 and the percent. Percents are not shown
where the item count would result in a percent of less than one percent.
There were 11,700 items posted in 1998 and 4640 in 1997.

WORD 98 COUNT - % | 97 COUNT - %

'215' 514 - 4.3% | 256 - 5.5%
abstain 72 | 22
abuse 2127 - 18.2% | 933 - 20.1%
activist 483 4.1% | 244 - 5.3%
addict 501 - 4.3% | 202 - 4.4%
addiction 1320 - 11.3% | 596 - 12.8%
AIDS or HIV 1275 10.9% | 607 - 13.1%
alcohol 2066 - 17.7% | 729 - 15.7%
ATF or alcohol and tobacco and firearms 38 | 15
beer 292 - 2.5% | 100 - 2.2%
Bill of Rights 334 - 2.9% | 122 - 2.6%
bong 27| 14
booze 120 - 1% | 37
border 710 - 6.1% | 461 - 9.9%
bribe 42 | 21
buprenorphine 15 | 8
burning 110 | 55 - 1.2%
buzz 79 | 22
caffeine 69 | 28
Califano 45 | 30
cancer 1080 - 9.2% | 474 - 10.2%
cannabidiol or cannabinoids 164 - 1.4% | 34 - 0.7%
cannabis 1863 - 15.9% | 716 - 15.4%
carcinogen 20 | 8
cartel 308 - 2.6% | 235 - 5.1%
CASA 17 | 11
chemistry 77 | 26
chemotherapy 224 - 1.9% | 160 - 3.4%
children 2083 - 17.4% | 803 - 17.3%
chronic 454 - 4.0% | 155 - 3.3%
CIA 148 - 1.3% | 62 - 1.3%
cigarette 868 - 7.4% | 251 - 5.4%
civil 932 - 8.0% | 315 - 6.8%
civil liberties 262 -2.2% | 83 - 1.8%
clandestine 92 | 50
Clinton 1114 - 9.6% | 601 - 13.0%
coca 226 - 1.9% | 76 1.6%
cocaine 2552 - 21.8% | 1182 - 25.5%
college or university 2081 - 17.8% | 819 - 17.7%
Constitution 281 - 2.4% | 109 - 2.3%
control 2030 - 17.3% | 849 - 18.3%
Controlled Substances Act 121 - 1.0% | 50 - 1.1%
corruption 429 - 3.7% | 304 6.6%
counternarcotics 56 | 60 - 1.3%
court 2832 - 24.2% | 1037 - 22.3%
crack 844 - 7.2% | 369 - 8.0%
criminal or crime 3676 - 31.4% | 1465 - 31.6%
cultivation 451 -.3.9% | 247 - 5.3%
czar 436 - 3.7% | 305 - 6.6%
dangerous 1134 - 9.7% | 434 - 9.4%
DARE 188 - 1.6% | 76 - 1.6%
DEA 404 - 3.5% | 215 - 4.6%
decriminalization 332 - 2.8% | 96 - 2.1%
decriminalize 192 - 1.6% | 70 - 1.5%
demand reduction 109 | 32
democrat 232 - 2.0% | 88 - 1.9%
dependent 172 - 1.5% | 36
detox or detoxification 192 - 1.6% | 60 - 1.3%
diacetylmorphine 3 | 2
disease 775 - 6.6% | 309 - 6.7%
dopamine 49 | 30
drink 497 - 4.2% | 164 - 3.5%
ecstasy 401 - 3.4% | 165 - 3.6%
education 1280 - 10.9% | 440 - 9.5%
enforce or enforcement 2559 - 21.9% | 1065 - 23.0%
epilepsy 115 - 1.0% | 62 - 1.3%
eradication or eradicate 233 - 2.0% | 115 - 2.5%
FBI 332 - 2.8% | 136 - 2.9%
FDA 238 - 2.0% | 100 - 2.2%
federal 3227 - 27.6% | 1320 - 28.4%
felon 54 | 17
forfeiture 197 - 1.7% | 58 - 1.3%
freedom 499 - 4.3% | 183 - 3.9%
fungus 22 | 5
GHB 28 | 5
glaucoma 394 - 3.4% | 173 - 3.7%
government 3572 - 30.5% | 1517 - 32.7%
hallucinogen 146 - 1.2% | 56 - 1.2%
harm 743 - 6.4% | 271 - 5.8%
harm reduction 429 - 3.7% | 77 - 1.7%
hashish 204 - 1.7% | 98 - 2.1%
health 3038 - 26% | 1177 - 25.4%
hemp 480 - 4.1% | 247 - 5.3%
hepatitis 157 - 1.3% | 55 - 1.2%
herb 397 - 3.4% | 140 - 3.0%
heroin 2495 - 21.3% | 1045 - 22.5%
high 2480 - 21.2% | 1009 - 21.7%
high school 962 - 8.2% | 355 - 7.7%
human rights 412 - 3.5% | 194 - 4.2%
ibogaine 6 | 2
illegal 2860 - 24.4% | 1164 - 25.1%
illicit 774 - 6.6% | 307 - 6.6%
informant 376 - 3.2% | 87 1.9%
ingestion 31 | 10
inhalants 46 | 18
injecting rooms 114 | 43
interdiction 215 - 1.8% | 119 2.6%
joint 697 - 5.9% | 290 - 6.3%
junkie 89 | 32
jury 707 - 6.0% | 258 - 5.6%
jury nullification 6 | 19
ketamine 15 | 3
khat 13 | 4
LAAM 9 | 9
legal 2252 - 19.2% | 937 - 20.2%
legalize 662 - 5.7% | 270 - 5.8%
legislator 47 | 26
libertarian 105 - 0.9% | 48 - 1.0%
LSD 378 - 3.2% | 171 - 3.7%
mafia 121 - 1.0% | 52 - 1.1%
mandatory minimum 346 - 3.0% | 58 - 1.3%
marijuana 4134 - 35.4% | 1704 - 36.7%
marijuana or cannabis 4887 - 41.8% | 1996 - 43.0%
marijuana or cannabis or hemp 4977 - 42.5% | 2021 - 43.6%
McCaffrey 605 - 5.2% | 329 - 7.1%
MDMA 45 | 11
media 935 8.0% | 333 - 7.2%
medical or medicinal with marijuana or cannabis 2987 - 25.5% | 1289 - 27.8%
methamphetamine 654 - 5.6% | 408 - 8.8%
methcathinone 3 | 2
military 609 - 5.2% | 379 - 8.2%
minimization 3 | 2
minorities or minority 300 - 2.6% | 109 - 2.3%
money laundering 318 - 2.7% | 101 - 2.2%
morphine 256 - 2.2% | 125 - 2.7%
multiple sclerosis or MS 726 - 6.2% | 278 - 6.0%
mushroom 11 | 4
Nadelmann - 82 | 24
naltrexone 48 | 12
narcan 14 | 3
narcotic 285 - 2.4% | 125 - 2.7%
nausea 448 - 3.8% | 222 - 4.8%
needle exchange 352 - 3.0% | 173 - 3.7%
neurotransmitter 29 | 20
nicotine 337 - 2.9% | 130 - 2.8%
NORML 85 | 19
Office of National Drug Control Policy 318 - 2.7% | 162 - 3.5%
ONDCP 14 | 3
opiate or opioid 294 - 2.5% | 118 - 2.5%
opium 272 - 2.3% | 163 - 3.5%
overdose 378 - 3.2% | 117 - 2.5%
pain 897 - 7.7% | 424 - 9.1%
paraphernalia 228 - 1.9% | 76 - 1.6%
PCP 67 | 51
peptide 1 | 4
peyote 18 | 10
pharmaceutical 220 - 1.9% | 83 - 1.8%
pharmacology 90 | 46
phencyclidine 9 | 2
police 4411 - 37.7% | 1605 - 34.6%
policy 2378 - 20.3% | 982 - 21.6%
poppy 136 - 1.2% | 72 - 1.6%
prevention 779 - 6.7% | 320 - 6.9%
prison or jail 3084 - 26.4% | 1178 - 25.4%
privacy 252 - 2.2% | 97 - 2.1%
profile or profiling 190 - 1.6% | 76 - 1.6%
prohibition 590 - 5.0% | 241 - 5.2%
protest 464 - 4.0% | 170 - 3.7%
psilocybin 20 | 5
public health 1379 - 11.8% | 534 - 11.5%
race or racism - 336 - 2.9% | 107 - 2.3%
rape 117 - 1.0% | 50 - 1.1%
rastafarianism 18 | 6
rave 64 | 28
recovery 212 - 1.8% | 78 - 1.7%
reefer 125 | 41
reform 604 - 5.2% | 215 - 4.6%
rehab - 565 - 4.8% | 202 - 4.4%
religious or religion 233 - 2.0% | 112 - 2.4%
republican 583 - 5.0% | 241 - 5.2%
research 1697 - 14.5% | 758 - 16.3%
ritalin 71 | 11
rohypnol 37 | 7
sacrament or sacramental 329 - 2.8% | 97 - 2.1%
sale or sales 1242 - 10.6% | 464 - 10.0%
school of the americas 24 | 3
science 568 - 4.9% | 196 - 4.2%
scientist 165 1.4% | 74 1.6%
seizure 410 - 3.5% | 123 - 2.7%
shooting 503 4.3% | 197 - 4.2%
smoke 1200 - 10.3%| 496 - 10.7%
smuggling 573 - 4.9% | 274 - 5.9%
snitch 37 | 8
speed 298 - 2.5% | 99 - 2.1%
spraying or spray 117 - 1.0% | 99 - 1.0%
stimulant 115 | 41
substance abuse 627 - 5.4% | 280 - 6.0%
suicide 254 - 2.2% | 82 - 1.8%
surveillance 330 - 2.8% | 129 - 2.8%
teen 401 3.- 4% | 129 - 2.8%
temperance 30 | 7
test or testing 1227 - 9.6% | 412 - 8.9%
THC 339 - 2.9% | 136 - 2.9%
tobacco 1312 - 11.2% | 497 - 10.7%
traffickers or trafficker or traffic 1324 - 11.3% | 634 - 14.5%
treatment 2036 - 17.4% | 822 - 17.7%
tyranny 23 | 7
unconstitutional 154 - 1.3% | 52 - 1.1%
underground 176 - 1.5% | 60 - 1.3%
urine 245 - 2.2% | 75 -1.6%
withdrawal 212 - 1.8% | 110 - 2.3%
youth 902 - 7.7% | 353 - 7.6%
zero tolerance 180 - 1.5% | 56 - 1.2%