Benzodiazepines as a social problem: The case of Halcion

This paper uses the case study of the crisis surrounding the benzodiazepine sleeping tablet Halcion (triazolam), particularly in the UK and US, to ass ess the explanatory value of the developmental model of drugs as a social p roblem first outlined by Gabe and Bury(9). It is argued that the case study supports the value of the model's three stage approach of emergence, legit imation and state response but that further comparative work needs to be un dertaken with prescribed drugs other than benzodiazepines in order to subst antiate fully the claim that the model represents a "natural history" of dr ugs as a social problem.