STUDY: TEEN ANTI-DRUG ADS MAKE AN IMPACT

WASHINGTON -- If kids watch them often enough, ads warning about the
dangers of smoking pot or taking Ecstacy can persuade them to stay away
from drugs, according to a study released by an advocacy group Thursday. A
survey of teens conducted for the Partnership for a Drug Free America found
kids who see or hear anti-drug ads at least once a day are less likely to
do drugs than youngsters who don't see or hear ads frequently. Teens who
got a daily dose of the anti-drug message were nearly 40 percent less
likely to try methamphetamine and about 30 percent less likely to use
Ecstacy, the study found. When asked about marijuana, kids who said they
saw the ads regularly were nearly 15 percent less likely to smoke pot.

The partnership produces most of the anti-drug messages for the White
House. Among them: one featuring a young man visiting the site where his
brother was killed by a driver under the influence of marijuana.

The difficulty is getting kids to see the ads and pay attention to them. A
University of Pennsylvania study released last year found the ads are
largely ignored by teens.

A spokesman for the government's drug policy office, Tom Riley, said the
partnership changed the tone of the ads in the last year to make them
harder-hitting and punchier. The ads also play up the negative consequences
of drugs more, he said.

"These ads have taught millions of teens the truth that marijuana is a
harmful drug," said Riley.

Barry McCaffrey - drug czar during the Clinton administration - said the
anti-drug ads are having a "profound impact in a fundamental way, affecting
not just adolescents but adults" as well - including parents, pediatricians
and teachers. The drop in drug use proves the ads are a key part in the
battle, he said.

After a rise in the 1990s, drug use by teens has been going down, according
to Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the drug partnership. But he said
advertising alone can't solve the problem. Parents who talk to their kids
about drugs are an essential element of the equation, he said.

The study looked at surveys from more than 7,000 teenagers across the
country in seventh through 12th grades. It was conducted on behalf of the
drug partnership by RoperASW, a New York-based market research firm. The
partnership, which has been creating anti-drug ads since 1987, is a
nonprofit group of communications professionals dedicated to keeping kids
away from drugs.