YOUTUBE MEETS REEFER MADNESS

A generation ago--OK, almost two--one of the most entertaining
late-night diversions was an over-the-top anti-drug film called
"Reefer Madness." Who could forget the tragedies visited upon young
Bill and Jimmy when they accept an invitation to the apartment shared
by Mae and Jack, the co-habiting pot sellers? Meant to discourage
marijuana use--it was titled "Tell Your Children" when produced in
1936--the film became a cult classic among college students in the
1970s. Usually, the audience was stoned.

Today's young people are no more receptive to anti-drug propaganda
than the "Reefer Madness" crowd, judging from the response to a new
campaign by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Last week, the ONDCP posted a series of 30-second spots on YouTube,
the Internet video-sharing site. The government ads, all previously
seen on TV, are now featured alongside countless amateur videos in
which the mostly young subjects sing, dance, rant and clown for the camera.

Visitors who use YouTube's search function to find videos associated
with words like drugs, weed, pot or 420 (a reference to marijuana, we
learned) may stumble on the slick spots produced by "ONDCPstaff,"
described in a user profile as an 18-year-old who lives in
Washington, D.C. We found the spots amusing and hip, but that just
goes to show you. YouTube regulars have assigned them ratings no
higher than 1.5 stars (out of 5).

The ONDCP isn't posting viewer comments, but you don't have to look
hard to find them elsewhere. "The ONDCP has created a YouTube profile
and it's about as cool as you might expect," reads a posting on
stopthedrugwar.org. "Teenagers are a little smarter than the
government gives them credit for," reads another, at homelandstupidity.com.

OK, fair enough. Maybe you can give the government credit for going
where its audience is, or trying to. It's a little like leaving those
sex ed pamphlets on Junior's dresser instead of bringing up the
subject at the dinner table: He might pay attention if nobody's
looking. Thousands of viewers have clicked on the YouTube spots, and
it hasn't cost taxpayers a dime; the videos are recycled TV ads and
posting them is free.

It appears, though, that the ONDCP hasn't done much in the way of
marketing that has worked. The federal Government Accountability
Office reported last month that the $1.2 billion spent on anti-drug
advertising since 1998 has failed to reduce drug use among teens. The
GAO found that youngsters who saw the ads remembered the message, but
were not dissuaded from trying drugs. The GAO recommended Congress
stop funding the ad campaigns until ONDCP can prove they work.

A federal study did find that drug use by youngsters who are 12 to 17
has gone down slightly the last three years in a row. At the same
time, it has gone up among those who are 50 to 59. Maybe the
government should forget about YouTube and try to get its message out
through the AARP.