Pubdate: Mon, 10 Jun 2002
Source: Advertising Age (US)
Section: Page 68, Adages
Copyright: 2002 Crain Communications Inc.
Contact:  http://www.adage.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2258
Author: Richard Linnett
Note: Accompanying the item is a photo of an Elvis impersonator shaking 
hands with the governor, captioned: "DAN FORBES MEETS GOV. TAFT (R): Just 
kidding."
Related: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1020/a02.html (Background)
Related: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1086/a03.html (Daniel Forbes' 
Response to this item)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?195 (Partnership for a Drug Free America)
Bookmarks: http://www.mapinc.org/forbes.htm (Forbes, Daniel)

WHERE THERE IS SMOKE, THERE ARE MIRRORS

DANIEL FORBES, the journalist who revealed last January that the White 
House Office of National Drug Control Policy cuts deals with TV networks to 
weave anti-drug messages, like product placement, into the story lines of 
TV shows, has a new ax to grind. This time it's Bob Taft, the Republican 
governor of Ohio, whom he accuses of plotting with the Partnership for a 
Drug-Free America to create a partisan political campaign against a 
drug-reform initiative in the state. In a rambling 43-page report posted on 
the Web site of the Institute for Policy Studies (ipc-dc.org), a left-wing 
think tank, Dan alleges that Taft, his wife, Hope Taft and the PDFA spent 
government money planning a campaign against a state initiative that would 
promote treatment instead of criminal sentences for simple drug possession.

Unfortunately there's not a whiff of a smoking gun in the report other than 
some publicly available transcripts of meetings between the alleged 
conspirators, and there are no sources for his story, because no one 
returned Dan's phone calls. Finally, there is no ad campaign and it doesn't 
appear that there will be one. Did they call it off? "That's a darn good 
question," Dan, who writes for High Times, tells Adages, "they're not 
telling me. The Partnership hasn't returned my phone calls for five years." 
The PDFA did return Adages call. "We've never created any advertising to 
influence the outcome of a drug based referenda in any state," said Steve 
Dnistrian, director of public affairs. "Clearly, Dan is smoking some of the 
wacky weed that he has a great affection for when he is sitting down 
writing these things." 
- ---
MAP posted-by: Ariel