SHOCK CAMPAIGN TO JOLT PARENTS TO QUESTION CHILDREN

A shock television campaign against drugs, showing children ending up as
prostitutes or dead, will be launched today by the Federal Government.

The aim of the emotional national television advertisements is to jolt
parents and teenagers in a major new phase of Prime Minister John Howard's
Tough on Drugs campaign.

In one scene the camera focuses on the face of a sweet-looking 17-year-old
boy, with his eyes wide open.

As the camera pulls back, the zipper of a body bag is closed over his head.

At the same time, his voice as a happy seven-year-old tells viewers: "I'm
in the under-nines, and I'm a forward...One day I want to play for
Australia if I'm good enough."

In later phases of the campaign families will be seen discussing the
original advertisements.

The advertisements will be accompanied by a mass mail-out of a two-page
"how to" guide for parents talking to their children about drugs and their
dangers.

The booklet will go to every household in Australia, in the first attempt
by a Federal government to reach out directly to the entire community on drugs.

It was originally scheduled to go out last year with a much smaller
distribution and without the supporting television campaign, but has been
rewritten to place more emphasis on what parents can do.

Drug counselling and welfare services have worked with the Government to
ensure local follow-up for families who seek help as a result of the campaign.

While the advertisements dramatically portray the impact drugs can have on
teenagers, the booklet avoids sensationalism. Its theme, "Our strongest
defence against the drug problem - families", reflects Mr Howard's strong
personal views on the importance of families in society.

In the foreword Mr Howard urges parents to talk to their children about
drugs before it is too late.

"If we don't talk to our sons and daughters about drugs, you can be sure
that our children will hear the wrong message from someone else," he says.

Mr Howard said a recent national survey found that 76 per cent of 15- to
17-year-olds were willing to talk to their parents about drugs and 71pc
said that parents could influence them not to take drugs.

Alcohol and Other Drugs Council head Caroline Fitzwarryne said Mr Howard's
campaign was a very positive step.

The booklet includes facts about teenage drug use, drug deaths, drugs and
property crime, plus hospitalisations from illicit drug use.

A guide to the drugs, from cannabis and inhalants such as glue and petrol
to LSD, ecstasy and heroin, lists their street names and symptoms as well
as possible health effects.

Most of the booklet is devoted to addressing why teenagers start taking
drugs, and what parents can say and do in response.

Parents are also urged to look out for warning signs that their teenagers
are trying drugs, including a sudden drop in school grades, mood swings,
and changed eating patterns.

But the booklet acknowledges that some parents also take or have taken
drugs, and says they should be prepared to be confronted about this.

Mr Howard has taken personal responsibility for anti-drug programs, but his
insistence on following a policy of zero tolerance - trying to stop drug
use, rather than through harm minimisation - has caused controversy among
health professionals and interest groups.

Last month Opposition Leader Kim Beazley launched Labor's drug policy which
included possible support for a trial of heroin supplied on prescription,
and expansion of other treatments including the heroin antidote Narcan.