MEDIA SHOULD JOIN WITH THE GOVERNMENT TO PUSH ANTI-DRUG MESSAGE

Corporations are willing to spend billions of dollars on advertising
because it works. The electronic media - television, radio, film, videos,
Internet, CD-ROM and multi-media (including print journalism augmented by
color photography) - constitute the strongest educational tools available
in the modern world. Where earlier civilizations drew on the walls of
caves, we trace our culture on TV screens.

Mass media can change attitudes and behavior among youth in the fastest,
most effective way. In addition to drug prevention based in homes, schools
and communities, an aggressive media campaign is essential for reducing
drug abuse.

Today in Tucson - one of 12 target cities to test the advertising campaign
- - the Office of National Drug Control Policy will launch a pilot run of
anti-drug ads focusing on youngsters nine to 17 years of age. For
approximately four months, ads will also air in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boise,
Denver, Hartford, Houston, Milwaukee, Portland, San Diego, Sioux City and
Washington, D.C. The impact of these paid spots will be tested and refined
before the program goes national later this year.

Congress appropriated an unprecedented $195 million for the campaign.
Through support from the media and others in the private sector, this
figure could double - allowing us to increase paid advertising and public
service efforts.

Such an initiative is necessary because even though overall drug use
dropped by half in the last 15 years, teen-age drug use rose precipitously.
Eighth grade use nearly tripled in the last five years. During this period,
the number of anti-drug public service announcements fell by 30 percent and
many of those PSAs aired in time slots that attract few children.

Here in Arizona, marijuana is the drug of choice, which reflects national
statistics among youth, yet crack and Mexican black tar heroin are both
readily available in Tucson.

Juvenile drug arrests in Pima County increased 151 percent between 1984 and
1994. The largest cocaine seizure in Arizona history (six tons) occurred in
Tucson in 1997. Methamphetamine production in clandestine laboratories is
increasing substantially, using chemicals procured in Mexico.

The media initiative is only the beginning of a greater educational
campaign to reach youngsters. Documentaries about the history of drug use,
the impact of narco- terrorism on American foreign policy and the link
between drugs, crime and the justice system can be supplemented by factual,
dramatic shows about the consequences of substance abuse. Young viewers
would be more likely to shun addictive substances if they were better
informed about the violence associated with this criminal industry and
health risks posed by drugs.

Today's kids spend more time watching television than attending academic
classes. By high school graduation, youth have seen approximately 15,000
hours of TV compared to 12,000 hours in school. Whether we like it or not,
electronic media have revolutionized the way people learn - much as Johann
Gutenberg's printing press and movable type changed Renaissance Europe from
an oral to a written culture.

In the 20th century, mass communication has brought us back to
word-of-mouth, conveying information through electronically enhanced speech
and pictures that magnify impact.

Because mass media acts like a ``proxy-peer'' to our youth, defining the
culture by identifying what's ``cool'' and what's not, over a five-year
period a broad-based anti-drug campaign can counteract pro-drug messages
from many sources. Ad experts suggest that a minimum of four exposures a
week that reach 90 percent of the target audience (mostly children but also
parents, coaches, and youth leaders) can change attitudes.

The University of Michigan's ``Monitoring the Future'' study indicates that
attitudinal change precedes behavioral change. A recent study by the
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) notes that media efforts work best
on the community level in conjunction with other prevention programs. To
maximize impact, the new campaign will tailor ads to match the age, social
and psychological profile of audiences.

Dr. Alan Leshner, director of NIDA, points out that scientific research has
established that types of ads achieve good results. For instance, messages
that encourage audiences to think about issues - as opposed to celebrities
delivering slogans - tend to produce enduring change. Likewise,
research-based material is more effective than ``scare tactics.''

Creative minds in the arts and industries are helping with these efforts.
The Ad Council and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America are providing ad
copy as well as experience and talent.

The idea is not to control young minds. Our purpose is to offer accurate
data that enables maturing individuals to make rational choices. Drugs are
wrong because they hurt people. We cannot stand idly by while toxic,
addictive substances endanger children, family, friends and neighborhoods.
So look for the new ads and speak about the message. American liberty
entails freedom from substances that poison young minds and kill youthful
dreams.

Barry R. McCaffrey is director of the Office of National Drug Control
Policy.