Meth turnoff
Posted: Friday, June 29, 2007 4:59 AM by Allison Linn
Filed Under:
Health care
The image of a teenage boy beating up his own mother so he can steal money from her purse will not quickly fade from memory. Nor will the scene in which a young woman has sex in exchange for drugs -- which her boyfriend collects -- while she says, in a voiceover: “I love my boyfriend. We’ve been together since like eighth grade. He’s my best friend. He takes care of me.”
The Montana Meth Project isn’t aiming for subtle in the third wave of a TV, radio and print campaign designed to keep teens from even trying methamphetamines. After graphically showing kids what the addictive, destructive drug can do to their bodies, the campaign has turned its attention to how meth can lead you to abuse and exploit the people you care about.
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| Montana Meth Project |
The ads, which are garnering interest from other states including Arizona, are not for the faint-hearted -- or weak-stomached. But Jeanne Cox, executive director of the Meth Project Foundation, said the project’s creators found the in-your-face approach was the only way to get the attention of kids who are used to violent video games, horror movies and graphic music videos.
They say the ads also are getting results, having already helped spur a steep drop in teen meth use and meth-related crime in the state. Force yourself to sit through them, and it’s not hard to see why. The ads may offend some, but they’re much more likely to make you think twice about doing drugs than a shopworn slogan like “just say no.”
See the ads here.
