BUILD ON SUCCESS OF ANTI-DRUG EFFORTS

A recent Government Accountability Office report on anti-drug
advertising comes at a time when drug use among teens has declined by
19% over the past four years ("Anti-drug advertising campaign a
failure, GAO report says," News, Aug. 29).

Ads alone are not the silver bullet when it comes to warning young
people about the dangers of drug abuse. Rather, they work in concert
with preventive messages teens get from their parents, in school and
elsewhere. We do know that advertising can and does play a vital role.

In fact, from 2002-05, teen use of Ecstasy dropped by more than 40%
after a comprehensive public education campaign. The teen population
also witnessed a 21% drop in the use of inhalants (such as household
chemical products), a 70% drop in cocaine use and drastic declines in
heroin use after similar campaigns. Conversely, reduced support for
anti-drug public service advertising coincided with a significant
increase in teen drug use from 1992-97.

We must continue to build upon the progress we have achieved over the
past several years -- including these important declines in teen drug
abuse. Otherwise, we'll be turning our backs on a generation of young
people already besieged by an array of pro-drug messages. It is a cost
not measured by a government report, but by the potential lives ruined
from illicit drug abuse.

Stephen J. Pasierb

President and CEO

Partnership for a Drug-Free America

New York

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