NOT4ME ANTI-DRUG CAMPAIGN SHOULDN'T BE FOR ANYONE

The "not4me" campaign is billed as a drug prevention campaign aimed
at discouraging youth from using drugs (RE: "Government links to US
anti-drug campaign," Jan. 13). In reality, however, it is something
else entirely.

First and foremost, the TV spot is simply not credible (on a number of levels).

Now, according your article, the anti-drug website for youth includes
links to a campaign run by the White House's Office
of National Drug Control Policy, as well as interactive
graphics from MSNBC and the University of Utah. For Health Canada to
link to several American sources on its new youth anti-drug website
because no applicable Canadian sources exist goes to demonstrate why
Canada's Youth Anti-Drug Strategy is a colossal and dismal failure.

Between the TV ads and the website for this "campaign" there are
significant areas of concern that arise. Overall, the campaign is both
evasive and convoluted; it can only be perceived as misleading. It
claims one thing but presents something entirely different.

Incidentally, what did this "campaign" cost the taxpayer?

There are realistic youth anti-drug and drug awareness strategies
being utilized
within Canada. But if Health Canada is intent upon presenting the
American fallacy postured as "drug awareness," one would hope that it
would have been incumbent upon Health Canada to insist that the
fallacies at least be Canadian and logical; such is not the case with
"not4me." In the corporate world heads would roll for this kind of
thing. Because this campaign is clearly ill-conceived and will,
arguably, do more harm than good, I am requesting that the minister
remove it from public purview immediately.

Wayne Phillips

Educators For Sensible Drug Policy member

Hamilton, Ont.