FRIENDLY ADVICE REPLACES 'JUST SAY NO' DRUG MESSAGE

Light-Hearted Touch Used To Make Campaign More Credible

A UKP3m advertising campaign that jokes about heroin and acknowledges the
pleasurable effects of ecstasy was launched yesterday, in a bid to make the
government's battle against illegal drugs more credible among young people.
Ministers from the Home Office, health and education departments said they
wanted to encourage children, parents and carers to make use of a
confidential national helpline giving honest information.

Instead of the "say no to drugs" message in previous campaigns, the
helpline and its sister website would provide factual information,
including the specific dangers of mixing substances.

The service is to be known as Talk to Frank, and the campaign promoting it
will be built around an unseen friend who is always ready to provide
discreet and well-informed advice, information, and support.

One of the adverts, to be screened on primetime television, shows a busy
high street where adults of all ages are hugging each other, lamp-posts,
and everything else they can lay their hands on.

A voiceover warns: "If this was the only effect of ecstasy, we would all be
doing it. Find out why we're not. Talk to Frank"

Another TV advert portrays a mother trying to broach the subject of drugs
with her teenage son, prompting him to call in a police hit squad to arrest
her. The voiceover says: "Drugs are illegal, talking about them isn't."

A follow-up sequence of radio ads includes a shop assistant muddling his
words, inserting the names and most common nicknames of illegal drugs
during an otherwise harmless exchange with a customer. This comedy routine
is probably the first time the government has tried to get a laugh out of
heroin and other class A drugs.

Bob Ainsworth, the Home Office minister, said: "This is the first time the
government has tried to reach out to parents and carers as well as children
to give them honest, credible, accessible information about drugs ...
Previously young people got information from their mates, and often their
mates were wrong."

Hazel Blears, the public health minister, said: "The days when we could
simply tell people how to live their lives are long gone. That kind of
campaign simply doesn't work."

She rejected suggestions that young people would remember the positive
image of ecstasy in the hugging advertisement, and forget the message about
the drug's dangers.

"The aim is to communicate with people's real experience and what is going
on in their lives. In many cases people do take drugs because it is a
pleasurable thing to do. This points out there are other impacts."

Ivan Lewis, the education minister, said: "This hasn't been dreamt up in
Whitehall behind closed doors. There has been a lot of testing with people
who work on a daily basis with drug users."

Although the ministers said the campaign put the emphasis on honesty, Ms
Blears and Mr Lewis would not say whether they had been offered or used
illegal drugs. Mr Ainsworth said he was offered drugs, but "sadly" it was a
long time ago and he did not know what they were. The only drug he took was
nicotine.

Annette Gale, of the Bury and Rochdale substance misuse service, said that
it was often thought children knew all about drugs and parents knew
nothing. The Frank initiative would put them on a level playing field.

The campaign was welcomed by leaders of drugs charities including Lord
Adebowale of Turning Point and Vivienne Evans of Adfam.

But Lesley King-Lewis, chief executive of Action on Addiction said the
campaign should have focused more on the dangers of powder cocaine and
cannabis.

Jacqui McCluskey, policy officer for the children's charity NCH, said:
"There is a fine balance between using humour and making fun of people,
which would not be constructive in the long run. I hope this campaign is
not seen by young people as the latter."

The Frank helpline is on 0800 776600 and the website at www.talktofrank.com