IN-YOUR-FACE ADS MAY BE BEST METH ANTIDOTE

How can Montana confront the widespread destruction unleashed by
methamphetamines?

Thomas Siebel has a bold plan.

More than that, he has the entrepreneurial spirit and resources to put
that plan into action.

Widely known in business circles as founder of Siebel Systems, a
leading global computer software company, Siebel also is a part-time
resident of Montana.

Spending time here, he became aware of the state's increasing problems
associated with meth.

As he pondered how he could help, he reflected on the American Cancer
Society's successful campaign to de-glamorize cigarette smoking.

"Kissing a smoker is like licking an ashtray."

Bombarded with such messages, many youngsters now think "eww-yuk"
about smoking. What if, he wondered, they started thinking the same
about meth.

He quietly assembled the Montana Meth Project and funded it to the
tune of $5.6 million from the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation.

The project's efforts are focused very tightly on one goal: Use an
innovative marketing campaign to prevent youngsters from trying meth.

The ads will be everywhere, on TV, newspapers, movie screens,
billboards and in student publications.

The images, some of which feature the voices and stories of Montana
teens, are disturbing. Very disturbing.

That's the point.

First, they must capture the attention of a difficult market -- 12- to
17-year-olds.

Second, they have to be real. These ads are real -- Montana kids
talking to Montana kids -- and they're real scary.

The teens talk about losing their hair, their teeth, their homes. They
talk of turning to theft and prostitution. They talk of shattered lives.

The Montana Meth Project does more than just pay for hard-hitting ads.
Every six months it will survey the state's youth about meth use and
attitudes. Then it will adjust the ad campaign as needed.

The goal, Siebel says, is to document both a noticeable drop in the
number of young people trying the drug and the attitudes surrounding
it.

His foundation is funding the project through 2007. Then, assuming it
shows positive results, it will be turned over to Montanans to keep
alive.

There are a number of other strong initiatives to address the meth
problem in Montana.

Legislators worked to make ingredients of the drug less accessible.
Law enforcement is heaping efforts on catching criminals. There's more
and more awareness of the need for better treatment options.

But the Montana Meth Project is the one entity focused entirely on
prevention.

It's already receiving rave reviews from government officials, law
officers, educators and medical professionals who got an early peek at
the campaign.

Ultimately, though, it comes down to how young people respond to a
strong dose of reality marketing.

Thomas Siebel and the Montana Meth Project just may be the state's
best hope for slowing the scourge of meth.