From Stories to Behaviour, the Ebb and Flow of Fears and Panics: Discussion of the Needle-Spiking Epidemic Scares of 2021–2022

Abstract

The needle-spiking scares in the UK and France are discussed and contextualized through comparison with former outbreaks linked to social fears. The contradictions of our attitudes towards psychoactive drugs, both coveted and feared, are outlined and lead to an analysis of the scares in a folkloric perspective that centers on the notion of ostensive action.