WEAKENING GEN. MCCAFFREY'S HAND

The Post's June 18 editorial on including alcohol in the National Youth
Anti-Drug Media Campaign was correct from a public health perspective:
Underage drinking is a serious problem that deserves attention. But from a
marketing perspective, The Post was incorrect to suggest that simply adding
alcohol messages to this campaign will add to its effectiveness.

I don't question the relevance of targeting underage drinking. But as an
advertising professional with more than 30 years of experience, I question
the wisdom of risking and perhaps killing the effectiveness of one media
campaign to create another that cannot and will not work given current
limitations.

What message would you use to persuade teenagers not to drink beer? What
would you to say to parents to change their attitudes about wine? What would
you say to both to convince them that drinking excessively can be dangerous?

No one knows, because extensive research to determine this has not been
done. Additionally, to really change attitudes about alcohol, this campaign
would have to compete head-to-head with the billions spent to market alcohol
products. Shaving money out of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign
would not accomplish this. We do not question the rightness of addressing
underage drinking. Our concerns focus on what we can and cannot accomplish
with the current appropriation.

Richard D. Bonnette, President and CEO, Partnership for a Drug-Free America
New York