In several instances, police in the USA have noticed an increase in the use of dangerous drugs after the death by overdose of a prominent person such as popular musician. Instead of being frightened by the potentially deadly effects of the particular drug or brand of drug that caused the person's death, users seek it out, clearly influenced by the behaviour of their role model.
A US survey (2001) of teens and preteens showed that those whose favorite actors smoke in films are more likely to take up the habit themselves. In addition, when their film favorites frequently smoked, young people were far more likely to look favorably on smoking, even if they did not smoke themselves.