FILMS AND MUSIC GLAMORIZE SUBSTANCE USE,GOVERNMENT SAYS

Media: Most depictions of drug,alcohol and tobacco use fail to show ill
effects,a U.S. report complains.

Washington-Musicians sing about guzzling liquor and movie stars puff
cigarettes and take drugs on the big screen.But federal officials ask:
Where is the unglamorous side of substance use - like hangovers,
slurred speech or getting in trouble with the law?

A government study released Wednesday says people were depicted doing
drugs, drinking or smoking in 98 percent of the top movie rentals and
27 percent of the most popular songs in 1996 and 1997. Fewer than half
these movie scenes and song lyrics mentioned any downside to these
activities.

The $400,000 study of 200 movies - rated from "G" for all ages to
"NC-17," no one under 17 admitted - and 1,000 songs was commissioned
by the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Department of
Health and Human Services.

The study stopped short of saying that music and films cause young
people to use drugs, alcohol and tobacco.But researchers said that
determining the frequency and nature of substance use in entertainment
media is the first step toward understanding how much influence films
and music have on young people's decisions to smoke, drink and take
illicit drugs.

"We do not suggest that we want to dictate the message. Drugs, alcohol
and tobacco are a reality of American life. They should be part of the
art form of the entertainment world," said Barry McCaffrey,
drug-control policy director for the Clinton administration. "But we
are suggesting they need to be tied to the consequences that are
realistic, given our experiences in American life."

A Motion Picture Association of America spokesman declined to comment,
saying there hadn't been enough time to review the two-year study.

The Recording Industry Association of America issued a one paragraph
statement, saying efforts already were under way in the music industry
to help control teen substance abuse.

Since 1985, for example, the music industry has put labels on
recordings that contain strong language or descriptions of violence,
sex or substance abuse. In an average record store with 110,000
titles, about 500 recordings would have the "parental advisory"
sticker, the association said.

Nelba Chavez, administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration, said the entertainment media are a powerful
influence on young people, but parents have more of an impact.

"There's a lot of room for improvement in the entertainment world,"
she said, "but there's just as much room for improvement in homes and
communities."

On a positive note, Chavez said only 3 percent of the song lyrics
mentioned tobacco. And 15 percent of the movies that portrayed illicit
drug use also contained an "anti-use" message, such as limiting how
much and how often substances are used.

Only five of the movies, however, were substance-free. And in at least
two of the five, there was a scene about using substances, according
to Don Roberts, a Stanford University communications professor who
helped research the study.

"In one scene, a set of characters sit around a tea table, drink out
of little toy tea cups and go through an entire drunk shtick," Roberts
said.

Among the study's other findings:

Of the movies, 93 percent showed alcohol use, 89 percent tobacco use
and 22 percent drug use.

Of the songs, 17 percent included lyrics about people drinking
alcohol, 18 percent using drugs and 3 percent smoking.

More than half the movies and more than 80 percent of the songs that
mentioned drugs and alcohol indicated no consequence to users.

Of the 669 major adult characters in the movies, 5 percent used
illicit drugs, 25 smoked and 65 percent drank alcohol.

Reflecting concern about media violence, four members of Congress
asked President Clinton to convene an emergency summit meeting at the
White House with leaders of the entertainment industry.

In a letter to Clinton, Sens. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., and John
McCain, R-Ariz., and Reps. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Dan Burton, R-Ind.,
said school violence is a complicated issue, but "we believe that
media violence is contributing to this problem, and we need the help
of the entertainment community to solve it."

The four also asked Surgeon General David Satcher to conduct a new
study into the influence of mass media on the increase in violent
behavior by children and young adults.

Also, two House Republicans, John Peterson, R-Pa., and James Rogan,
R-Glendale, introduced separate bills Wednesday that would establish
federally funded drug testing programs in schools.