HOLLYWOOD NOT HIGH ON DRUG CZAR'S PLAN

WASHINGTON -- Hollywood reacted with caution and opposition after
White House drug czar Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey told Congress on Tuesday
that he intends to extend his anti-drug media blitz to the movies.

McCaffrey said Hollywood film makers, unlike TV networks, will receive
no government financial incentives in return for incorporating
anti-drug messages in their scripts.

But McCaffrey, director of the White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy and overseer of a five-year, $1 billion media program,
did propose a potential boost for Hollywood.

He said his office hoped to use taxpayer dollars for "promotional
activities and special events that capitalize on the visibility" of
films that feature anti-drug messages.

McCaffrey declined to elaborate on his promotional proposal, saying it
was still in the planning stages. But he stressed that "not one cent"
would be used to directly finance Hollywood films.

McCaffrey said his office would use its resources to educate
producers, directors and studio chiefs "about how images of substance
abuse in the movies impact audiences, especially young audiences."

His announcement drew sharp reactions in Hollywood, along with a
wait-and-see attitude on the part of some executives.

"It's absurd for the government to try to do this kind of stuff. How
about giving rewards for every movie that doesn't have a gunshot in
it? We know what violence does to people," said director-producer Jeff
Greenwald, whose upcoming film "Steal This Movie!" is a story about
sex, drugs, and rock and roll, with the late Abbie Hoffman serving as
tour guide.

"The Directors Guild and its members are concerned about abuses of
drugs and alcohol in our society and welcome public discussion about
this issue," DGA President Jack Shea said. "However, it is a
longstanding commitment of the DGA to protect the right of individual
filmmakers to allow their visions to be unclouded by any government
interference."

A number of studio executives said they would withhold comment until
the drug czar's plans become more specific and detailed.

McCaffrey made his announcement as members of the House Subcommittee
on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources grilled him for
two hours about the effectiveness of the media program and the
legality of a controversial effort that offers TV networks a financial
incentive to air programs with anti-drug themes.

Under the plan, launched in 1998, networks are required to donate $1
worth of free air time for every $1 the government spends to place its
anti-drug advertising. That means the government places ads for half
cost. However, the networks can reduce that requirement by receiving
credits for airing programs with anti-drug themes.

The networks can then use time slots formerly reserved for government
public service spots and sell them to commercial advertisers.

Since 1998, McCaffrey's program has approved $25 million worth of
credits to networks for 109 television episodes.

Critics of the plan, including the American Civil Liberties Union, say
it amounts to government censorship. Dan Forbes, a journalist for the
online magazine Salon who broke the story in January, reported that
anti-drug officials and companies under contract to the White House
had suggested changes in TV scripts to fit in with their effort.

McCaffrey hotly denied the censorship charge.

"Not one cent has been paid to anyone for content and there is no
secret government censorship plot," he said. "It is unquestionable
that I'm trying to get an anti-drug message into popular culture. But
we don't want to be involved in the creative process."

He also called Forbes' reports "ludicrous."

Forbes, who also testified to the subcommittee, stood by his reporting
and called the goverment media campaign "subtly manipulating and chilling."

McCaffrey did admit that his program had changed its ground rules in
January, mandating that TV programs be reviewed and considered for
credit only after they have aired. He also said movies would be
considered for promotional tie-ins only after they are released.

Rep. Patsy Mink, D-Hawaii, asked McCaffrey, "Why change the guidelines
if there was nothing wrong with the old ones?"

McCaffrey did not respond.

Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., the subcommittee chairman, expressed concern
about trust. "We cannot afford to have kids thinking that every drug
message portrayed on TV was planted by the government," Mica said.

Current popular taste may be at war with McCaffrey's anti-drug
message. The No. 1 film in the country, "Scary Movie," which made more
than $42 million in its opening weekend, makes light of drug usage,
particularly marijuana smoking.

One of its primary characters, played by the movie's co-writer Marlon
Wayans, is seen throughout the film smoking pot. The character's drug
habit even manages to save his life when he coaxes the movie's
homicidal maniac to get stoned with him.

Other summer movies have celebrated drugs as well. In "Shanghai Noon,"
Jackie Chan's character is comically shown getting stoned smoking a
peace pipe. In the upcoming teen comedy "Loser," drugs are featured in
a subplot involving a group of college students who give the so-called
"date rape" chemical to girls.

Cheryl Rhoden, a spokeswoman for the Writers Guild of America, said
the latest proposal is laced with uncertainty.

"It's unclear what credits would be applied to movies in theatrical
release or what kind of purchases could occur to give credit to a company.

"In terms of influencing writers and their stories, that occurs
constantly from a plethora of organizations. We hear from everyone
from the Red Cross to environmental groups," she said. "We're
concerned about the culture of drug use, but is there an appropriate
avenue for our government to get involved? That's the real ethical
question."

White House officials reported on Feb. 3 to a Senate subcommittee that
most of the credits had been approved for programs with inherent
anti-drug themes, including "Seventh Heaven," a wholesome WB Network
drama featuring a clergyman's family, and Fox's "America's Most
Wanted," which solicits the public's help in capturing fugitives.

That revelation moved Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., to
declare the White House program a windfall for the networks and led to
the subcommittee's vote in February to end funding for the credit
scheme. Final funding for the White House anti-drug campaign is still
pending in the House and Senate.

McCaffrey on Tuesday declared his media program a success, reporting
that 95 percent of the target audience of youths age 12-17 was being
exposed to an average of eight anti-drug messages per week on TV and
radio, in newspapers and magazines and over the Internet.

Citing studies by the Partnership for a Drug Free America, McCaffrey
also said that teen drug use had declined since 1998, due in part to
his campaign.

But Mica and other panel members, citing recent reports from the
Centers for Disease Control, said that adolescent drug use was
actually on the rise, especially abuse of methamphetamines and potent
and ingestible Mexican heroin.

McCaffrey said the conflicting data were based on different sets of
statistics. He also said his office is planning new ad campaigns to
target methamphetamines and heroin.