Is "Breaking Bad" Normalizing Meth?

As AMC's hit series "Breaking Bad" comes to a close, the transformation of high-school-chemistry-teacher-and-family-man Walter White to dangerous-crystal-meth-kingpin, Heisenberg is one of the most notable and daring character transformations in television history. In this Emmy-award winning show filled with moral ambiguity, intelligent writing and hidden rewards for those who pay attention to detail, one major question is being asked by some viewers, and in particular, one felony prosecutor from Texas, Blake Ewing. Ewing penned an essay in Time where he argues that the show's popularity is actually normalizing the use of meth. His argument is that Breaking Bad gives viewers a "false sense of familiarity" with meth that is "inherently dangerous." A serious problem in small town America is now becoming "watercooler talk" and parodied on late-night T.V., and people who would usually be out on the "margins of that society" will be drawn in, if only for their own "morbid curiosity" due to the this show- albeit, artful, compelling, and gritty.

In response to Mr. Ewing, I would conclude that meth/amphetamines are actually already "normal." One cannot argue that the use of crystal meth is indeed a problem. The show focuses on the manufacturer's issues, not that of the users, which is what makes "Breaking Bad" different, captivating, and more complex than your average "drug" show. However, society was already quite familiar with amphetamines prior to "Breaking Bad." Instead of the show causing the watercooler talk, one could argue that the show was a direct response to a high increase in many large pharmaceutical companies prescribing Adderall and amphetamines to children and adults in recent years. Sure, what was commonly well known throughout trailer parks is now known about on Wall Street. However, these other, previously "unfamiliar" people were actually probably already exposed to meth or amphetamines, just not on the end of the USER. They were exposed via pharmaceuticals, manufacturers, or perhaps even unknowingly as a distributor, retailers, ingredient provider, etc. This was already normal. It's just now been EXPOSED as normal.