Psychedelics and the media in the Visegrad countries

Public narratives about psychedelics in the four Visegrad countries (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) are shaped by media and cultural stigma, lagging behind the 'psychedelic renaissance' seen in wealthier Western nations. Frequent television viewers show lower informedness and more negative attitudes toward psychedelics. The paper argues that harsh stigma in the former Eastern Bloc hinders psychedelic science, posing institutional, financial, and reputational challenges. The authors aim to promote a more balanced public discourse that addresses real risks.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Background and aims: This paper aims to shed light on the prevailing public narrative regarding psychedelics and the media's role in cultivating it. The study focuses on the four states of the Visegrad Alliance, whose members gained independence from the Soviet Union and later joined the European Union simultaneously. Thus, ominous substances were introduced to their drug markets and wider societies around the same period, yet their current drug policies and international stances on drug related issues differ vastly. The paper argues that although the so-called psychedelic renaissance is rather visible and mediatized in wealthy occidental countries, due to a harsh stigma surrounding psychedelics in the former Eastern Bloc, the state of psychedelic science is lagging behind its potential. Methods: Applying mixed methods of qualitative and quantitative, primary and secondary data collection, the effects of mass media, and the impact of the respective cultural and legal environments of each country are compared and analyzed, using multiple linear regressions, mediation, and moderation analyses. Results and conclusions: As frequent viewers of television demonstrate a lower level of informedness and a more negative attitude toward psychedelics, the findings of this paper are parallel to what is a frequent topic among psychedelic researchers and one that poses important institutional, financial, and reputational challenges on the progress of science. The vision of this study is to foster a public discourse that is more balanced and in which real and relevant risks are addressed.