Paracetamol is one of the most frequently used analgesics and antipyretics today. It's one of the safest drugs, but its safety depends solely on whether it is used in an appropriate way and at the recommended dose. Only then its benefits outweigh the risks. Harmful effects are also not negligible. In support of this, it is said that among all of drug poisoning, paracetamol poisoning is leading the way, either intentionally or unintentionally. Its use in unjustified doses, in a medically unfounded way, may result in hepatotoxicity and acute liver failure. In addition, recent studies associated the use of paracetamol with increased risk of asthma in children and adults. The use of drugs and the expectation of its therapeutic effect in the eyes of the public depends not only on the chemical composition of the drug but also on the broader social context. The new ruling political paradigm - neoliberalism, seeks to liberalize the market in general, so as the drug market that was largely excluded from the free-market law. Harmful effects of liberalization or deregulation of the drug market have created in the public the wrong perception, more precisely the misconception, of freely sold drugs (non-prescription drugs). Namely, the opinion that drugs that can be purchased freely are already completely safe and do not require supervision of a doctor or a pharmacist is prevalent in the general perception. Some countries, such as Sweden, have already felt negative consequences of liberalization through an increase in the incidence of paracetamol poisoning. After paracetamol stopped being under the jurisdiction of a pharmacist, there was a 40.5% increase in the incidence of paracetamol poisoning. Despite the negative consequences of liberalization that have been observed in other countries, Croatia has been trying to make the same mistakes. The demand for the liberalization of the drug market in Croatia is not acceptable for at least two reasons: there is a long tradition of socialized health care, and there is a highly developed network of pharmacies and a satisfactory number of pharmacists under whose jurisdiction the medicines should still stay mandatory. The conducted research suggests that the public in Croatia has a mostly satisfactory awareness of the proper use of paracetamol and its adverse effects and that it is used in a therapeutically acceptable way.