“As long as the White House insists on substituting ‘reefer madness’ for honest information, its ads will continue to have a negative impact on teens,” says NORML head
Washington, DC: A new series of taxpayer funded anti-marijuana print and television advertisements are unlikely to dissuade children from experimenting with marijuana, according to NORML Executive Director Keith Stroup.
The new round of anti-pot ads mark the relaunch of the White House’s National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, which has spent nearly 2 billion dollars in taxpayer dollars and matching funds since 1998 to design anti-drug advertisements and public service announcements. However, a June 2002 evaluation of the federal ad campaign by Westat Inc. and the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania found that teens who were most exposed to the ads used drugs in greater numbers than those who were less exposed.
Testifying before Congress last June, Dr. Robert Hornick, co-author of the Westat and Annenberg review, said, “There is no other published evidence we know about that shows a negative effect like this of a large-scale campaign.”
The government’s latest ads, which began this week, focus exclusively on marijuana. Stroup predicts, however, that this new round of ads will likely prove to be as ineffective as their predecessors.
“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 public health campaigns to discourage drunk driving and teen tobacco smoking – both of which have been 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, health and science-based education campaigns. Until the federal government applies these same principles to the responsible use of marijuana, not only their ad campaign but also their national marijuana policies, are destined to fail.”
For more information, please contact either Keith Stroup or Paul Armentano of NORML at (202) 483-5500.