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Home > News Archive > 2002 > Drug Czar Promises Changes In Feds' Anti-Drug Media Campaign After Congressional Grilling
Drug Czar Promises Changes In Feds' Anti-Drug Media Campaign After Congressional Grilling
June 20, 2002 - Washington, DC, USA
Admits Program Isn't Working, But Demands Congress Fund It Anyway
U-Penn Review Calls Ad Campaign Greatest Failure In Public Communication Campaign History
Washington, DC: Drug Czar John Walters requested yesterday that members of a Senate appropriations subcommittee continue funding the White House's $1.8 billion anti-drug ad campaign - even though the ads have failed to discourage teens from using drugs, and have been associated with increasing drug use among frequent viewers.
Walters told Senators that he intends to overhaul the campaign by quantitatively testing new ads before they air, targeting older teens, and shifting the campaign's focus from polydrug use to marijuana only. Walters promised drastically improved results by as early as fall 2002 if Congress okays funding for the program at present levels - a staggering $180 million per year.
Members of Congress appeared skeptical of Walters' claims - particularly after a federally-commissioned review by Westat Inc. and The Annenberg Public Policy Center for the University of Pennsylvania found the five-year-old program has had no favorable effects on youths' attitudes or drug use. In some cases, authors noted that repeated viewing of the ads might even stimulate the use of certain drugs.
Robert Hornik, co-investigator of the report, testified that the poor results were surprising given the history of similar public communication campaigns. "There is no other published evidence that we know about that shows a negative effect like this of a large-scale campaign," he said.
NORML's Keith Stroup called the campaign's failure predictable. "As long as our government insists on pushing 'reefer madness' instead of honest information, these ads will continue to have a negative impact on teens," he said.
"Rather than continue down this failed path, federal officials ought to take a page from their more successful campaigns to discourage drunk driving and teen tobacco smoking - both of which we have significantly reduced in recent years. We have not achieved this by banning the use of alcohol and tobacco, or by targeting and arresting adults who use them responsibly, but through honest education campaigns. We should apply these same principles to the responsible use of marijuana."
For more information, please contact Keith Stroup or Paul Armentano of NORML at (202) 483-5500.
updated: Jun 20, 2002
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