FEARS DRUG CAMPAIGN CUTS NO ICE WITH TEENS

A University of Western Australia researcher has called for the
scrapping of a multimillion-dollar anti-methamphetamine campaign by
the Federal Government, after finding that graphic advertisements
actually made the illicit drug more appealing to teenagers.

A study by clinical psychology researcher David Erceg-Hurn found that
a similar American campaign warning of violent behaviour and self-harm
associated with crystal methamphetamine had the opposite effect to
what was intended, making the drug appear less risky to young people.

The review, published in the international journal Prevention Science,
found that after six months of exposure to an expensive anti-ice
advertising campaign in the American state of Montana, three times as
many teenagers believed using ice was not risky.

The teenagers were also four times more likely to strongly approve of
regular methamphetamine use after the campaign and half thought the
advertisements had exaggerated the risks of using the drug.

Mr Erceg-Hurn said the campaign was very similar to that used in the
third phase of Australia's National Drugs Campaign, which was launched
last year and based on the slogan "Don't let ice destroy you".

He said the results from his study suggested that the shock
advertisements could be making the drug seem more acceptable and less
harmful.