Since the earlier part of the twentieth centur4y, two things have changed society and the way we perceive things today, television and drugs. There are several facts that Pete Hamill includes in his piece called "Crack in the Box" that help illustrate this. Whether it be the occasional smoker, or a long time heroine addict, chances are that TV has in some way effected them or been involved in their decision- making processes.
             Consider this; "In 1955 there were 31,700,000 TV sets in the country (The number is now past 184 million). That year the New York Police made 1,234 felony drug arrests; in 1988 it was 43,901"(374). I am not trying to state that every person arrested is a user, but sometimes they are. These numbers influence police in everyday traffic violations. For example, when somebody is pulled over, the police officer will most likely ask if they have any type of narcotics. Now there would not even be a need for this if there were not solid statistics to make think that somebody speeding could have drugs in their possession.
             TV and movies have long been portraying "stoners" in their programs because it grabs the attention of many viewers. Just about everyone has heard of "Cheech and Chong", two burnouts who have a dream of being musicians and all they do is smoke weed along with some other drugs. I have no problem with the movies they have made and neither do millions of other people. This is why in 1998 another movie with this same theme was made. It is called "Half Baked." It was very successful with profits and till today I know a few people who watch a couple times a month. It is one of those movies that is hard to get sick of will be around for a while. These two examples just got to show how television could influence the use of drugs.
             Another solid fact that Hamill brought up was a study conduc
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