Research Topic: Narcotic substances are the general term for natural and synthetic substances that have psychological and physiological effects on humans. With the advent of modernization and industrial production processes, narcotic substances found in nature began to be processed to produce synthetic derivatives, thereby significantly increasing their variety. In this context, this study examines the current state of narco-culture—which has emerged as a result of global inequalities—and the traumatic effects it creates through aesthetic sensibilities. It also analyzes the reflections of narco-culture on artists and society. Objective: Narcotic substances have been a subject of research in the fields of forensic medicine, sociology, and other behavioral sciences in recent years. With the increase in cases related to drug use and trafficking in Turkey and worldwide, it has been observed that this phenomenon is becoming increasingly normalized. This study aims to reveal the process by which drugs are transformed into a cultural logic and to identify the underlying causes of this normalization. Furthermore, it aims to analyze the processes leading to the emergence of drug culture, its symbolic mechanisms, and why this culture continues to attract attention on a global scale. The goal is not to romanticize drug culture, but to evaluate it within broader socioeconomic and cultural contexts. Scope: The research is limited to the effects of the proliferation of narcotic substances on criminal incidents and to social events that concretely reflect narco-culture. Additionally, contemporary artists who address the themes of life and death in their works have been evaluated, particularly through the examples of Fernando Botero and Teresa Margolles. Methods and Findings: The study involved a literature review on the relationship between narcotics, culture, and aesthetics. The sociological effects of narco-culture and the works of the selected artists—which incorporate themes of life and death—were analyzed from both factual and expressive perspectives. These findings demonstrate that the production and consumption of narcotics are not merely individual problems but highly complex phenomena with cultural, social, and aesthetic dimensions. Conclusion: The study reveals the increasing normalization of narco-culture and its relationship with the phenomenon of death. The findings show that the cultural and social effects of narcotic production and use have become visible through the work of artists and that these effects are reflected in global culture. The processing of natural narcotics into synthetic forms and the increasing variety of substances—alongside the process of modernization—are considered one of the key factors accelerating the spread of narco-culture.

Keywords: Narco-Culture, Botero, Criminal Cases, Aesthetic Sensibility, Teresa Margolles