History DrugsAreBad / WesternAnimation

* Completely and utterly ripped into by ''WesternAnimation/SitDownShutUp''. The teachers decide that they need a scapegoat problem to lecture about for Parents' Day, and decide to have an anti-drug conference sponsored by a prescription drug company. One of the teachers is declared the "drug czar" (for confiscating non-company drugs, ''including'' prescription drugs) and forced to quit drinking coffee, the negative effects of not taking prescription drugs are emphasized (including the principle going into a coma from various vital organs shutting down), and [[CloudCuckoolander one of the teachers]] mishears "Math Lab" (he had previously been taking anti-ear-blockage medication) and instead builds a ''meth'' lab. Everyone seemingly gets sick from the meth being accidentally left among the dippng sauces, which is [[CompletelyMissingThePoint censored]] for being "kind of gross", and it turns out that nobody had taken drugs at all and they got sick from the food. For TheStinger, after it being said that they never did have a chance to show that drugs are bad, shows the baby who had several times been referenced as a "permanent consequence" of using drugs sitting in the duffel bag full of meth bags... [[{{Subverted}} and]] [[DrugsAreBad its tooth falls out]].

** The above episode [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this as a chicken/egg BrokenAesop: Mr. Mackey's original intent is to prove that drugs make you a poor, depressed, homeless loser, yet, as he soon discovers, people turn to drugs because they ''are'' poor, depressed, homeless losers to begin with, and are driven to drugs to cope with said fact. [[spoiler: When he tries to explain this to his rehabilitation counselor, she simply [[{{Brainwashed}} brainwashes]] him into once again believing that DrugsAreBad, because, well, [[BecauseISaidSo they just are, m'kay]].]]
*** What's more, Mr. Mackey actually ''benefits'' from taking drugs. He sleeps with a hot hippy girl, marries her and honeymoons in India. He also loosens his tie, which causes his head to deflate and he looks much younger.
*** And Mackey only started taking drugs [[SelfFulfillingProphecy because he was fired from his job and everyone started stigmatizing him]] even though the only thing he did was accidentally losing a marijuana plant among students [[note]]which Mr. Garrison stole[[/note]]. [[spoiler: In fact, when he was dragged to rehab, Mr. Mackey explains that he voluntarily stopped taking drugs after being happily married to the hippy lady]].

* ''WesternAnimation/GIJoe'' had an episode where the Joes team up with freakin' ''COBRA'' to take down a drug lord after one of the COBRA agent's sister gets hospitalized due to the drug lord's new product, "Spark". Cobra Commander only gets involved when the agent persuades him that, since drugs are big business, the drug lord is sure to have piles of cash on hand to steal. In a rare scene from a show heavy on the BloodlessCarnage, the drug lord gets dropped into a vat of pure Spark and dies from a horrific overdose. It also turns out that the drug lord's bags of "cash" were really bags of shredded newspaper.
* The ''WesternAnimation/{{COPS}}'' episode "The Case of the Lowest Crime" deals with this trope. A new villain called Addictum who deals in a skin-absorbed drug called Crystal Twist tries to form an alliance with Big Boss. Big Boss refuses, saying that, despite making money in the worst ways possible, he would never stoop so low as to deal in drugs, seeing as drugs kill. He even warns his henchmen to never ever take drugs, to which they reply that they might be stupid, but not that stupid. When Big Boss' nephew Beserko is hospitalized by accidentally overdosing, Big Boss and his gang help the cops capture him because EvenEvilHasStandards.

*** What's more, Mr. Mackey actually ''benefits'' from taking drugs. He sleeps with a hot hippy girl, marries her and honeymoons in India. He also loosens his tie, which causes his head to deflate and he looks much younger. [[FamilyUnfriendlyAesop So kids, taking drugs will make you much happier than teetotalism ever could]].

-->'''Bean:''' No, but I had a vision and--oh drugs ''are'' bad.

** Inverted in the episode "420", where the characters sing a musical number extolling marijuana.
*** At which point a law is passed to legalize it, and ''everyone is completely stoned all the time'' with a few exceptions. Apparently in the world of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', there's no room for "responsible moderation."

** In another episode, Peter and Lois smoke pot for a talent show because they used to do so when they had a music act in their youth, and they believe that their best songs were inspired by it. While at first they appear to give an amazing performance to rounding applause, they are later shocked to learn that they lost...whereupon Chris comes in and informs them that they were "so stoned out" that they were nowhere near as good as they thought, in fact they were babbling, incoherent and disturbingly manic. He proceeds to give them a speech on the dangers of marijuana use and how the chief ingredient of marijuana is a type of acid, so prolonged use of the drug can cause brain damage. It's mostly PlayedForLaughs though.

* ''GIJoe'' had an episode where the Joes team up with freakin' ''COBRA'' to take down a drug lord after one of the COBRA agent's sister gets hospitalized due to the drug lord's new product, "Spark". Cobra Commander only gets involved when the agent persuades him that, since drugs are big business, the drug lord is sure to have piles of cash on hand to steal. In a rare scene from a show heavy on the BloodlessCarnage, the drug lord gets dropped into a vat of pure Spark and dies from a horrific overdose. It also turns out that the drug lord's bags of "cash" were really bags of shredded newspaper.

* "Mojo Jonesin'", An episode of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'', uses tainted Chemical X as an allegory for drug use, but otherwise plays this trope straight. Mojo Jojo, a clear metaphor for a drug dealer, gives a diverse group of kids the aforementioned tainted Chemical X, which gives them superpowers, on the condition that they fight and defeat the Powerpuff Girls. Blossom even tells the kids that when dealing with people like Mojo, to "just say no-no".

* "Mojo Jonesin'", An episode of''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'', uses tainted Chemical X as an allegory for drug use, but otherwise plays this trope straight. Mojo Jojo, a clear metaphor for a drug dealer, gives a diverse group of kids the aforementioned tainted Chemical X, which gives them superpowers, on the condition that they fight and defeat the Powerpuff Girls. Blossom even tells the kids that when dealing with people like Mojo, to "just say no-no".

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuff Girls'' episode "Mojo Jonesin'" uses tainted Chemical X as an metaphor for drug use, but otherwise plays this trope straight. Mojo Jojo, a clear metaphor for a drug dealer, gives a diverse group of kids the aforementioned tainted Chemical X, which gives them superpowers, on the condition that they fight and defeat the Powerpuff Girls. Blossom even tells the kids that when dealing with people like Mojo, to "just say no-no".

** The new drug "sector" and it's increasing use in Paxtown are one of the background scenaristic threads.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'' had an episode "Lure Of The Orb" in which Poet Smurf is given an orb by a witch named Allura, when someone touches the orb it helps them think and makes them more energetic, Poet, Painter, Handy, Harmony, and Farmer get addicted to it, it makes them perform sloppily and have big bloodshot eyes, the other smurfs realize they have a problem and have Papa Smurf take it away, but they take it back when he's asleep, when Hefty finds out he breaks it so they go back to Allura for more, she makes them her slaves and tells them that they will become completely unable to function without the orb, Farmer manages to escape and brings Hefty with him to save the others and destroy the main orb, once the effects have worn off the effected smurfs realize how the orb effected them and how awful their work was while under the influence.

* Gleefully parodied in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}},'' where Fry and Leela use Zoidberg's "Miracle Cream" to give themselves superpowers, including super-strength and speed (but not [[ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman the ability to control sea creatures]]). The powers are temporary, however, causing them to keep returning to the (apparently unique) tube of Miracle Cream. Shenanigans ensue when they run out. At the end of the episode, we are reminded in song that ''[[BrokenAesop Winners don't use drugs!]]''

* Depicted in a fairly believable fashion in a SuperHero and ScienceFiction context in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' without being {{Anvilicious}}. In the "The Winning Edge," a leading school sports team is using a super steroid based on the supervillain Bane's venom chemical in skin induction applications called "slappers." It makes the kids stronger, but at a price of excessive aggression and profound weakness in withdrawal as their dependency grows. Furthermore, when Batman goes to question the aged Bane about it, he finds him in a senior's home a complete vegetable totally dependent on Venom to stay alive; the natural result of using it for decades. (Sad RealitySubtext here: Robert "Jeep" Swenson, the actor who played Bane in ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'', died at 40 as a result of severe steroid abuse.)

** In episodes "Action!" and "Restez avec nous sur PaxNews", two sector's addicts take the main characters hostage in a mall.

* ''WesternAnimation/CartoonAllStarsToTheRescue'', an animated special featuring cartoon characters from several different shows. It's the same thing with ''[[TheFlintstones The Flintstone]] [[SpinoffBabies Kids]]'' "Just Say No".

* ''WesternAnimation/Lastman'':

** In "The Eternia Flower", Count Marzo cultivates a special flower called the Black Nightmare that has an intoxicating and addictive scent. He gets a boy named Jahno hooked on it so that he would assist him in his plan to lure other children in. While high, Jahno nearly killed himself by playing on top of a high wall. Marzo planned to addict all the children so that they would obey him and serve as his army. Jahno beats the addiction and turns on Marzo when he sees what the flower has done to his little brother Chad.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Bravestarr}}'s'' anti-drug episode "The Price", the kid actually does overdose and ''die.'' Shocking for a cartoon of that era, it's one of the best episodes of the series.

** Following the ''GIJoe'' example above, ''WesternAnimation/{{COPS}}''' BigBad, "Big Boss", uses his power to keep drugs out of Empire City. He helps the good guys stop a drug lord when his own nephew, TheDragon (the dumb Berserko), gets affected.
*** Specifically, an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{COPS}}'' includes a new villain called Addictum who deals in a skin-absorbed drug called Crystal Twist. Big Boss and his gang help the cops capture him because EvenEvilHasStandards.

* ''CartoonAllStarsToTheRescue'', an animated special featuring cartoon characters from several different shows. It's the same thing with ''[[TheFlintstones The Flintstone]] [[SpinoffBabies Kids]]'' "Just Say No".

*** In ''Family Guy''???

* In the ''WesternAnimation/DefendersOfTheEarth'' episode "The Deadliest Battle", both Rick and Kshin are (separately) offered drugs. However, while Kshin has the guts to refuse, Rick (who has recently been under a lot of stress) quickly succumbs to temptation. As a result of taking the drugs, Rick's behaviour becomes erratic and his ability to make decisions is impaired. And, when Kshin tries to confront him about the drugs, Rick uncharacteristically snaps at the youngster to mind his own business. It takes Kshin's [[DisneyDeath apparent death]] at the hands of a super-charged Ming to bring Rick to his senses and get him to take the first step towards quitting drugs.

* The [[WesternAnimation/VeggieTales Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie]] song "A Message from the Lord" contains the line: "Don't do drugs, stay in school!"
* Used in WesternAnimation/YoungJustice, where Superboy, a [[spoiler: half-]]clone of Superman with weaker powers, is offered "Super Shields" which grant him full Kryptonian powers for an hour, at the cost of making him extremely violent, mindless, and angry. They're also addictive, though whether that's the actual shield's fault or the power they give is ambiguous. [[spoiler: Thankfully, Superboy realises how dangerous the addiction is to him (especially since it makes him dependent on ''Luthor''), and comes clean of his own accord.]]

* ''GIJoe'' had an episode where the Joes team up with Freakin'' COBRA to take down a drug lord after one of the COBRA agent's sister gets hospitalized due to the drug lord's new product, "Spark". Cobra Commander only gets involved when the agent persuades him that, since drugs are big business, the drug lord is sure to have piles of cash on hand to steal. In a rare scene from a show heavy on the BloodlessCarnage, the drug lord gets dropped into a vat of pure Spark and dies from a horrific overdose. It also turns out that the drug lord's bags of "cash" were really bags of shredded newspaper.

* "Alone Again" from ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'' fits this trope. Laura, the newest Starlight Girl, is so depressed over her parents's deaths that she's easy prey for a drug dealer. Within a minute of taking a pill she has intense hallucination and tries to jump out of a window thinking she can fly. She becomes addicted within a few weeks but quits after learning Bobby is a FakeFriend who repeats the same thing to every girl he wants to buy drugs. Pity about the {{Anvilicious}} Aesop, since the first five minutes describing Laura's self-hate and loneliness are an ''intense'' TearJerker.

* Completely and utterly ripped into by ''SitDownShutUp''. The teachers decide that they need a scapegoat problem to lecture about for Parents' Day, and decide to have an anti-drug conference sponsored by a prescription drug company. One of the teachers is declared the "drug czar" (for confiscating non-company drugs, ''including'' prescription drugs) and forced to quit drinking coffee, the negative effects of not taking prescription drugs are emphasized (including the principle going into a coma from various vital organs shutting down), and [[CloudCuckoolander one of the teachers]] mishears "Math Lab" (he had previously been taking anti-ear-blockage medication) and instead builds a ''meth'' lab. Everyone seemingly gets sick from the meth being accidentally left among the dippng sauces, which is [[CompletelyMissingThePoint censored]] for being "kind of gross", and it turns out that nobody had taken drugs at all and they got sick from the food. For TheStinger, after it being said that they never did have a chance to show that drugs are bad, shows the baby who had several times been referenced as a "permanent consequence" of using drugs sitting in the duffel bag full of meth bags... [[{{Subverted}} and]] [[DrugsAreBad its tooth falls out]].

* "Alone Again" from ''{{Jem}}'' fits this trope. Laura, the newest Starlight Girl, is so depressed over her parents's deaths that she's easy prey for a drug dealer. Pity about the {{Anvilicious}} Aesop, since the first five minutes describing Laura's self-hate and loneliness are an ''intense'' TearJerker.

* One episode of ''APupNamedScoobyDoo'' had one of the suspects revealed to have a history with drugs. Every time the D-word was mentioned, the main characters (especially Scooby) expressed near-Pavlovian revulsion. Turns out the suspect in question was still involved in smuggling drugs, despite having given an {{Anvilicious}} claim that he'd quit that stuff.
* An episode of ''Literature/TheLittles'' appropriately entitled "Prescription for Disaster" played this straight in a surprisingly realistic manner for a Saturday morning cartoon. Also unique in that it called out {{ParentsAsPeople parents who used drugs.}}

* Gleefully parodied in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', where Fry and Leela use Zoidberg's "Miracle Cream" to give themselves superpowers, including super-strength and speed (but not [[ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman the ability to control sea creatures]]). The powers are temporary, however, causing them to keep returning to the (apparently unique) tube of Miracle Cream. Shenanigans ensue when they run out. At the end of the episode, we are reminded in song that '[[BrokenAesop Winners don't use drugs!]]'
** Also [[FridgeBrilliance hilariously subverted]] by Fry in his typical CloudCuckoolander fashion in "Ghost in the Machines":
-->"Heroes don't do drugs! Except for Drug Man, I guess."
* According to ''[[http://www.everythingisterrible.com/2012/02/drug-avengers.html Drug Avengers]]'', an obscure and [[DerangedAnimation very weird]] educational cartoon recently exhumed by ''Website/EverythingIsTerrible'', [[SpaceWhaleAesop the reason Earth will not be able to join the Galactic Federation in the future]] is because you smoked a joint at that outdoor {{Radiohead}} concert.
* The [[VeggieTales Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie]] song "A Message From The Lord" contains the line "Don't do drugs, stay in school!".
* Used in WesternAnimation/YoungJustice, where Superboy, a [[spoiler: half-]]clone of Superman with weaker powers, is offered "Super Shields" which grant him full Kryptonian powers for an hour, at the cost of making him extremely violent, mindless and angry. They're also addictive, though whether that's the actual shield's fault or the power they give is ambiguous. [[spoiler: Thankfully, Superboy realises how dangerous the addiction is to him (especially since it makes him dependent on ''Luthor''), and comes clean of his own accord.]]

* An episode of ''Literature/TheLittles'' appropriately entitled "Prescription for Disaster" played this straight in a surprisingly realistic manner for a Saturday morning cartoon.