Pubdate: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 Source: Fresno Bee, The (CA) Copyright: 2007 The Fresno Bee Contact: http://www.fresnobee.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/161 Author: Peter Hecht Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) GRAPHIC AD CAMPAIGN TAKES AIM AT METH ABUSE TV, Radio And Web Spots Depict Horror Stories From Users, Victims The camera draws in on a young woman's face. Her teeth are blackened with decay. Her neck is covered with red sores -- the work of a manic methamphetamine addict who can't stop clawing at her own skin. "It's really not a big deal," she says in an upbeat chatter. " ... It's like, you know, who's gonna tell? I mean look at me. You can't tell. I'm fine. Right? I'm fine." The message is one of many television commercials -- grim, stark and powerful -- now being aired in California media markets. It's part of a campaign aiming to curb methamphetamine abuse in a state that is far and away the national leader in the meth scourge. The public service campaign is part of a combined effort by the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs and the Partnership for a Drug Free America. Television and radio spots and a Web campaign of horror stories from meth users and victims have been produced for free by leading national advertising agencies. Air time is being donated by local television and radio affiliates and a related public relations campaign is being funded under a $200,000 federal Substance Abuse and Prevention and Treatment block grant. "We're using this as a jumping off point to begin the discussion with California communities on the nature this problem," said Kathryn Jett, the director of state alcohol and drug programs. "I think we're going to put some important messages out: Meth is nothing to play with. And it isn't going to be 'fun' for very long." The public service campaign is but a precursor to a $10 million "California Methamphetamine Initiative." The three-year program, funded by the Legislature in 2006, will develop a statewide public education campaign targeting high-risk populations affected by methamphetamine. In 2005, California led the nation with more than 77,000 publicly funded treatment admissions for meth abuse. Methamphetamine addiction in the state has reached such proportions that California now accounts for 40% of the nation's total medical admissions for the drug. The state's long-term campaign seeks to target three groups deemed particularly at risk: gay men, pregnant women and teens. With meth seen by many users as a potentially euphoric high, a sexual stimulant and a weight loss drug, one-third of California users begin taking the drug between the ages of 15 to 20. Meanwhile, gay men in California are considered 10 to 20 times more likely than the general public to use the drug. And methamphetamine accounts for 57% of reported drug abuse among pregnant women. So Jett said California is unleashing a multistep "social marketing and media campaign" to inspire meth users to seek treatment and "stop others from ever using it." "This is a public health and public safety issue," Jett said. "We're seeing very high rates of trauma and abuse and a lot more domestic violence. The drug creates paranoia, questions and fear about things that aren't even happening. And that leads to violence." Arguing that media campaigns can work to curb methamphetamine abuse, Jett points to the success of a $5.6 million "Montana Meth Project" launched in 2005 with primary funding from a computer industry entrepreneur, Thomas Siebel. In a report last month, Montana Attorney General Mike McGrath reported a 73% drop in 2006 in workplace positive drug tests for amphetamines or methamphetamine. Officials in Montana also credited a 2005 law, similar to policies in California, that put cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine -- a key component in methamphetamine -- behind pharmacy counters. California law restricts the amount of pseudoephedrine products consumers can buy at one time. Cathy Dunn, California regional manager for the Partnership for a Drug Free America, insists that shock therapy works in the antimeth media campaign. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman