ADS TARGET CANNABIS SMOKING TEENS

A NSW anti-cannabis campaign will target teenagers as they travel to
school and surf the internet.

NSW Health launched the $600,000 campaign, which it says is designed
to warn the 14 to 19-year-old age group on the dangers of starting the
marijuana habit.

Print advertisements, carrying tag lines such as "Pot. It mightn't
kill you, but it could turn you into a dickhead", will appear in youth
magazines and on bus stop posters.

The ads feature a person staring accusingly from a black and white
photo and quotes such as: "You've got great eyes, when they're not
bloodshot" and "I'd lend you money, but you still owe me from last
time".

Cinemas will screen a montage of the print shots, as will online
advertisements which are set to run on youth-orientated websites,
including myspace, msn messenger and gaming sites.

A NSW Health spokeswoman said online displays were an excellent way of
spreading the anti-drug message as the websites' registration
requirements meant the correct age group could be targeted.

NSW Health drug and alcohol programs director David McGrath said the
campaign was aimed at reducing the number of teenagers experimenting
with the drug.

"There is still a significant cohort of people who think, particularly
with the young person's age group, that cannabis is normal," Mr
McGrath said.

He said the number of young cannabis users had halved over the last
six years to one in five teenagers, but more needed to be done.

"We want to prevent people who are thinking about taking cannabis up
from taking it up and also encouraging those people that are using
cannabis to cease," he said.

"There's no safe level of cannabis use."

Mr McGrath said teenagers needed to be made aware of the consequences
of smoking pot, including mental illness such as depression, as well
as damage to physical health and social interactions.