DRUG CZAR PROMISES CHANGES IN FEDS' ANTI-DRUG MEDIA CAMPAIGN AFTER
CONGRESSIONAL GRILLING

Admits Program Isn't Working, But Demands Congress Fund It Anyway

Drug Czar John Walters requested last week that members of a Senate
appropriations subcommittee continue funding the White House's $1.8 billion
anti-drug ad campaign - even though the ads have failed to discourage teens
from using drugs, and have been associated with increasing drug use among
frequent viewers.

Walters told senators that he intends to overhaul the campaign by
quantitatively testing new ads before they air, targeting older teens, and
shifting the campaign's focus from polydrug use to marijuana only.

Walters promised drastically improved results by as early as Fall 2002 if
Congress okays funding for the program at present levels - a staggering
$180 million per year.

Members of Congress appeared skeptical of Walters' claims - particularly
after a federally-commissioned review by Westat Inc. and The Annenberg
Public Policy Center for the University of Pennsylvania found the
five-year-old program has had no favorable effects on youths' attitudes or
drug use. In some cases, authors noted that repeated viewing of the ads
might even stimulate the use of certain drugs.

Robert Hornik, co-investigator of the report, testified that the poor
results were surprising given the history of similar public communication
campaigns. "There is no other published evidence that we know about that
shows a negative effect like this of a large-scale campaign," he said.

NORML's Keith Stroup called the campaign's failure predictable. "As long as
our government insists on pushing 'reefer madness' instead of honest
information, these ads will continue to have a negative impact on teens,"
he said. "Rather than continue down this failed path, federal officials
ought to take a page from their more successful campaigns to discourage
drunk driving and teen tobacco smoking - both of which have been
significantly reduced in recent years. We have not achieved this by banning
the use of alcohol and tobacco, or by targeting and arresting adults who
use them responsibly, but through honest education campaigns.

We should apply these same principles to the responsible use of marijuana."

For more information, please contact Keith Stroup or Paul Armentano of
NORML at (202) 483-5500.