Tessa
Fiorini Cohen, a journalist based in Malta, wrote an article about how a drug’s
color affects it. She begins with an example from AMC’s drama Breaking Bad and how Tuco Salamanca uses
Walter White’s blue meth only to get high, he says he does not care about the
its color. Later on, however, everything White does revolves around the color
blue. In real life, colors are used to brand drugs; for example Viagra is known
as “the little blue pill.” Also, studies show people associate a drug’s color
with the effect it will have. She then explains what effects colors have: blue
acts as a sedative, red and orange as stimulants, and green reduces pain and
anxiety. When culture is taken into account, however, it gets more complicated.
For example, blue does not work as a sedative for Italian men; this is possibly
because their soccer team’s color is blue, and they associate the color with a
game and gives them adrenaline. Color also has practical roles in drugs.
Firstly, opacity can keep ingredients stable, secondly, it makes recognition
easier, both for the manufacturers and the patients. Also, patients are more
likely to stop taking a drug if its color is changed. Cohen ends by saying that
despite what Tuco Salamanca says; the color of his meth does matter.
Cohen’s article is informative;
to reveal to the reader the effect color has on drugs. Not only does she state
how color affects them, but also she gives examples that the reader can relate
to. For example, after saying people associate a drug’s color with its effect,
Cohen tells the reader to imagine burning their skin and treating it with a red
cream in opposition to a white cream. This makes the reader realize he too
makes the associations she mentioned and gives her article more credibility. She
makes reference to modern TV show Breaking
Bad, which makes the tone more casual and helps the reader understand her
point better. She was successful in explaining how color affects drugs.
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