Representations of Drug Issues in the Estonian Print Media and Drug Policy

Illegal drugs and related issues such as drug crime, the spread of HIV, etc., are social problems in all advanced Western societies. In Estonia, these problems became public issues after the restoration of independence and have grown considerably in the past two decades. This article studies representations of drug issues in the Estonian press from the 1980s up to the present day, and provides an overview of drug issues and the reaction of the state to these growing problems. It is important to study press representations since the media both informs the public and simultaneously forms the public’s understanding about these issues. In this article, the author examines the main shifts in representations of drug issues in the Estonian press and whether these changes reflect Estonian drug policy. Based on empirical data on the Estonian drug discourse, it is possible to distinguish three significant shifts in the press, each with a different main focus. During the Soviet occupation illegal drugs was a neglected topic in the Estonian media, and drugs were perceived as a problem of capitalist societies, not “ours”. The first change took place after the collapse of the Soviet regime when the topic of drugs was reflected in the hedonistic frame of the newly established yellow press. The second shift was initiated in the media when four young Estonian drug smugglers were arrested at Bangkok Airport in 1995 and nearly faced the death penalty under Thai law. The drug problem now fell into a criminal concern frame. The third shift was initiated after HIV started to spread quickly in Eastern Estonia among intravenous drug users, mainly among the Russian speaking population. Drug consumption was associated with AIDS, and it caused people to fear for their lives. An active drug policy emerged as a result of these fears. Whereas drug policy has shifted slightly towards measures to reduce harm (e.g. helping drug addicts), in press representations this human aspect is overshadowed by police and court news.