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A [[Dead Horse Trope|trope of yesteryear]], born from [[The Eighties]]' DARE programs and resulting commercials, "inspirational films", and [[Very Special Episode]]s.
 
[['''The Aggressive Drug Dealer]]''' is out there trying to ''force'' your kids into doing drugs. He won't take no for an answer, and will seek out and use intimidation just to coerce his target. So a type of training is required to [[Catch Phrase|"Just Say No."]]
 
This isn't how it happens. No drug dealer in their right mind would attract attention to themselves this way, especially not in the middle-class environs these commercials are aimed at. Any who do will get caught very quickly, and be far less likely to actually get customers. Also, the purpose of selling drugs is to make money - yet many of these types of films seem to imply that dealers are just [[Card-Carrying Villain|really evil people]] [[For the Evulz|who like getting little kids hooked on drugs]], even if they have to give said drugs away for free. The dealer giving away free drugs or forcing it onto the victim is the equivalent of burning a bag of money.
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This villain took away the need to actually address the culture-gap between adults and children/teens. "Talking to your kids" by [[Scare'Em Straight|scaring them]] with this monster was a lot easier than trying to understand the social environment one's child was in, and instilling values that would stand up and that they agreed with.
 
Modern anti-drug PSAs have been taking a different approach in the last few years, by encouraging children to be "above the influence" in all respects toward peer pressure, not just in regard to doing drugs<ref> Given the producers of [[Dungeons and Dragons (animation)|Dungeons and Dragons]]' experience, this would probably [[The Complainer Is Always Wrong|have been rejected as "anti-social"]]</ref> by the [[Moral Guardians]] of [[The Eighties]], and also showing that if your friends go get high after school, you don't have to go with them, and [[Sarcasm Mode|shockingly]], they'll just agree to see you tomorrow instead.
 
A subtrope of [[Drugs Are Bad]]. It should be noted that people do offer each other free drugs often enough, but these people are usually drug-using friends. They're aggressive drug buyers and users, not dealers. The anti-drug commercials were trying to get kids to say no to their friends who offered them drugs in high school (or middle school), but for some bizarre reason, it was the dealers who were depicted as aggressive distributors of free drugs.
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* Parodied in the [[Discworld]] novel, ''[[Discworld/Feet of Clay|Feet of Clay]]'', where dealers try to sell the drug 'slab' to troll-children. The troll watchman Detritus runs his own version of the 'Drugs - Just say no' posters, aimed at the ''dealers'': "Slab: Just say AarrghaarrghpleasennononoUGH". Considering the reputation of Detritus and his [[BFG|converted siege-crossbow]] 'The Piece-Maker', it's probably one of the more effective methods of [[Scare'Em Straight|Scaring 'em straight]].
* In Hal Clement's novel ''Iceworld'', the protagonist is sent to infiltrate a criminal syndicate which has discovered a drug vapor that addicts those who inhale it with one dose. {{spoiler|The story takes place among aliens who live at very high temperatures, and the drug is tobacco, acquired via robot probe from a human who has no idea why the aliens are willing to trade gold for cigarettes.}}
* The ''[[Doctor Who]]'' [[Eighth Doctor Adventures]] novel ''The Eight Doctors'' has a [[Very Special Episode|Very Special Subplot]] involving one of these. Justified -- maybe -- byJustified—maybe—by the fact that the drug dealer is a schoolkid whose classmate intends to tell on him, and he hopes that by forcing her to take crack, he'll get her addicted and she won't want to tell on him any more. However, the fact that a teacher claims that, "One single rock is cheap enough. Some dealers even give the first one away. It's a good way to make new customers, especially young ones," is about when you start to realize that you are reading a book propelled solely by [[Narm Charm]].
* In [[Glen Cook]]'s ''[[Garrett P.I.]]'' series, the crime syndicate has been known to use drug addiction as a method of recruiting and controlling underage prostitutes. [[Knight in Sour Armor|Garrett]] is not happy about this.
* [[Justified Trope|Justified]] in Harry Turtledove's [[Worldwar]] series, as the drug in question is [[Alien Catnip|ginger]]; ginger is a) much cheaper than street narcotics; b) completely legal (until the Race tries to ban it); and c) kickstarts the Race's mating instincts causing them to spontaneously create prostitution and (sadly) rape.
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== Tabletop RPG ==
 
* ''[[Paranoia]]'' adventure ''Send in the Clones''. When the [[PC|PCs]]s meet Hall-Y-Wud-5, he'll try to hook them on the drug he pushes, co-cola. He'll persuade them to try it with a sales pitch, and will offer them a free taste ("First hit is no charge.").
* In the post cyberpunk RPG "Fates Worse Than Death", the Drug Lords have recently managed (after years of hard work) to produce the "holy grail" of illegal street drugs: a drug that is dirt cheap to create, is instantly addictive, and has ''no effects whatsoever'' except for absolutely horrible withdrawal symptoms. No more of this tedious "convincing people to buy drugs" crap: [[Paranoia Fuel|their pushers just grab you while you walk down the street, give you one injection,]] [[Fate Worse Than Death|and from that point on you have to pay them ridiculous prices to avoid the withdrawal symptoms of doom.]]
 
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