POLITICS NEW RESEARCH SHOWS METH CAMPAIGN DIDN'T REDUCE USE

A new study out of the University of Washington shoots holes in the
effectiveness of an anti-meth campaign supported by Gov. C.L. "Butch"
Otter and First Lady Lori Otter.

The study, published in the September issue of the Journal of Health
Economics said that the Montana Meth Project, the model of similar
projects in Idaho and six other states, didn't affect the use of the
drug.

"Research shows that the project has had no discernable impact on meth
use," said D. Mark Anderson, A UW doctoral student in economics,
author of the study.

After the Montana Meth Project began its initial campaign, Idaho
launched a similar one. In 2008, the Idaho Legislature approved $1
million to fund the campaign. In 2009, another $500,000 was approved.
And in the midst of wholesale budget cutting, the Legislature's Joint
Finance Appropriations Committee approved yet another $500,000 for the
campaign in March of this year. The money came from Idaho's share of
the national tobacco settlement.

Otter supports the project and first lady Lori otter sits on the
project's Idaho board.

The primary elements of the campaign have been graphic advertisements
saturating radio, television and print outlets around the state. The
ads depict decay of users' bodies, young girls selling themselves to
older men for meth, teens committing violent crimes to support meth
habits and groups of meth users allowing their friends to die.

Study results also show that the Montana Meth Project has had no
influence on usage rates for other substances such as cocaine, heroin
and household inhalants. Anderson found that the project had no
discernable effect on meth use among Montana residents ages 15 to 29.
The findings suggest that other factors, such as increased policing
that occurred before the project, are more likely to have contributed
to decreased use of methamphetamine.