DrugSense FOCUS Alert # 110 June 11, 1999 DEBATE OVER ALCOHOL ADS REVEALS HYPOCRISY OF WAR ON DRUGS In another recent scheme to rid the world of drugs, federal officials announced they would spend $2 billion of taxpayer funds to place anti-drug advertisements from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America in various media outlets. These PDFA ads have never targeted alcohol use, and now more people are asking why. In one sense, it's a good question, even if it has a simple answer. As an op-ed piece from the San Francisco Chronicle notes (below), alcohol is more widely used by young people (and adults) than illegal drugs. Alcohol causes much more death and destruction than illegal drugs. So wouldn't it make sense to target alcohol too? Not if you are the Partnership for a (Partially) Drug-Free America. The people who volunteer their time to make the PDFA's anti-drug ads made their real living by creating advertisements for the alcohol industry. The fact that many major alcohol manufacturers have contributed financially to the PDFA in the past might have an impact as well. While it's important that the distinctions between good (legal) and bad (illegal) drugs be exposed as arbitrary and irrational, the question as to whether the PDFA should be used to fight teen alcohol use presumes the PDFA advertisements are effective at stopping illegal drug use. Many experts believe they are not, since they sell hysteria and suspicion, not effective solutions. Please write a letter to the San Francisco Chronicle or to your own newspaper showing how every player in this drug war mini-drama is attempting only to protect their own interests, even if those interests have nothing to do with making America "drug-free." Thanks for your effort and support. WRITE A LETTER TODAY It's not what others do it's what YOU do So... Just DO it * PLEASE SEND US A COPY OF YOUR LETTER OR TELL US WHAT YOU DID (Letter, Phone, fax etc.) Please post a copy your letter or report your action to the MAPTalk list if you are subscribed, or by E-mailing a copy directly to Your letter will then be forwarded to the list with so others can learn from your efforts and be motivated to follow suit This is VERY IMPORTANT as it is the only way we have of gauging our impact and effectiveness. CONTACT INFO Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA) Contact: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ EXTRA CREDIT - Write to your own local newspaper to say that the Partnership for a Drug-Free America is a farce, since it doesn't consider alcohol a drug from which America needs to be freed, and because its scare tactics are unproven and counterproductive. If your newspaper runs PDFA ads, this action is especially encouraged. Need an Email address for your local paper? Email addresses for nearly every paper of any size can be found at: http://www.mapinc.org/resource/email.htm * US CA: OPED: Drug War Isn't On Target URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v99.n610.a06.html Newshawk: Frank S. World Pubdate: Tue, 08 Jun 1999 Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA) Copyright: 1999 San Francisco Chronicle Contact: Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/ Forum: http://www.sfgate.com/conferences/ Author: Diana Conti DRUG WAR ISN'T ON TARGET Alcohol Lobby Derails Any Efforts To Dissuade Teens In His War Against Drugs, General Barry McCaffrey is outgunned by the political influence of special interest money that diverts attention from the gateway to teen drug problems, the drug most used and abused by adolescents -- alcohol. McCaffrey has repeatedly gone on record saying that alcohol is the primary drug abused in this country and he has lamented his inability to make alcohol the centerpiece of his current $195 million anti-drug media campaign. Coming to his rescue, U.S. Representatives Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-- Calif., Frank Wolf, R-Va., have authored an amendment to the Treasury, Postal Service and Government Appropriations bill that would add alcohol to the media campaign. McCaffrey's lament apparently wasn't sincere. When the Roybal-Allard Wolf amendment was announced, the drug czar and the White House came out in opposition to alcohol being included in the campaign to unsell drugs to America's youth. The reason: the powerful alcohol and advertising lobbies. The two major opponents of the Roybal- Allard/Wolf amendment are the politically influential and well-connected National Beer Wholesalers Association and the San Francisco-based Wine Institute. Another opponent is the Partnership for a Drug Free America, a nonprofit organization comprised primarily of advertising professionals. Many of them work for the very ad firms that produce the alcohol advertising that the drug czar's media campaign would counterbalance, if it included alcohol counter-ads. The partnership, which was founded on alcohol, tobacco and pharmaceutical money, provides volunteers to produce the current ads on illegal drug use by teens. It claims that it would not be productive to produce a campaign that includes alcohol because alcohol is ``deeply ingrained in our culture'' and ``alcohol use is widely glamorized in movies, television and music.'' And, the alcohol industry spends as much as $3 billion a year putting positive alcohol messages in front of kids' faces. The partnership's position mirrors that of beer companies who hypocritically claim their ads have no effect on underage drinking. Its position conveniently ignores how effectively tobacco counter-ads have worked using hard-hitting messages that expose the tobacco industry and debunk its advertising images. It's predictable that the National Beer Wholesalers Association would oppose public health efforts to counteract youth-oriented beer ads that glorify alcohol. Wine ads on the other hand are, for the most part, responsible and not inviting to children. The Wine Institute's opposition is strange and unnecessary. Alcohol is a leading cause of death among young people. Thirty percent of twelfth graders report hazardous drinking, and youth who start drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to become addicted than those who begin at 21. Every day on average, 11,318 kids try alcohol for the first time, compared with 6,488 for marijuana; 2,786 for cocaine; and 386 for heroin. Our children will be the losers if corporate lobbies continue to undermine efforts to protect their health and safety. Lawmakers should just say no to special interests and make the well-being of the next generation their top priority. The first step should be to pass legislation that allows the war on teen drug use to combat its biggest enemy -- alcohol. Diana Conti is executive director of The Marin Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems in San Rafael. SAMPLE LETTER (sent) I applaud Diana Conti's expose of the hypocrisy of the war on drugs ("Drug War Isn't On Target," June 8). The leaders of the drug war rarely focus on alcohol even though it is used and abused more widely than all illegal drugs put together. Since Conti displays the insight to see why this is happening, I'm surprised that she still seems to believe that ads from the Partnership For a Drug-Free America are the answer to any drug problems, especially alcohol problems. Far from being an answer, the PDFA's scare strategies are counterproductive. The PDFA ads repeatedly suggest that drugs are everywhere, and if you're on drugs, you're lost and hopeless. The PDFA attempts to further marginalize people who are already marginalized. Creating ads like that for alcohol will look particularly absurd to kids who have seen thousands of typical beer ads: fun-loving, good-looking, sport-playing hipsters living life to the fullest. It's time we take a new approach to drug policy in general. It should start, as Conti suggests, with a focus on the drugs that do the most damage, not the ones that do the least damage. After that, maybe we can try to reduce the hype (both negative and positive) that surrounds every drug. Anyone who wants a free and truthful America needs to recognize "drug-free America" as a dangerous illusion. Stephen Young IMPORTANT: Always include your address and telephone number Please note: If you choose to use this letter as a model please modify it at least somewhat so that the paper does not receive numerous copies of the same letter and so that the original author receives credit for his/her work.

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