Pubdate: Sat, 11 Dec 2004
Source: Cyprus Mail, The (Cyprus)
Copyright: Cyprus Mail 2004
Contact:  http://www.cyprus-mail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/100
Author: Alexia Saoulli
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?224 (Cannabis and Driving)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

OPEN YOUR EYES TO THE DANGERS OF DRUGS

THE Anti-drugs council yesterday launched the start of its national drug 
awareness campaign.

The campaign, based on the slogan 'open your eyes', aims to spread the 
message that drugs are not as innocent as people may think, said Tonia 
Bayada, the Council's Executive Secretary.

The brief, yet informative advertisement will be printed in newspapers and 
magazines, appear on billboards and be aired on television, the radio and 
at cinema screenings free of charge. It will also be found at Burger King, 
Pizza Hut and KFC outlets around the island.

Its goal is to target younger people in an effort to clampdown on the 
alarming number of teenage users in Cyprus, she said. Last month, the 
Cyprus National Monitoring Centre for drugs and drug addiction (EKTEPN) 
revealed that drug use was steadily on the rise for the past five years. 
Particularly high were the results shown for ecstasy and cannabis use, with 
four per cent of 14-15-year-olds now using ecstasy, compared to 0.3 per 
cent in 1999.

The printed advert, which shows an image of a man or woman with one eye 
zipped closed, calls on people to open their eyes and see that "drugs carry 
a heavy price".

The television spot is also accompanied by a few facts: "In 2003, alcohol 
was the cause of 48 youth deaths in road accidents. Brain damage brought on 
by frequent use of marijuana or hashish is permanent. Ecstasy causes brain 
damage. One in five people who experiment with cocaine become severely 
dependent on the drug."

Bayada told the Cyprus Mail: "The message is that drugs are not as innocent 
as people think. That's why we must focus on prevention."

Speaking to reporters at a news conference earlier in the day, Anti-drug 
council vice president Kyriakos Theodotou said: "The campaign focuses on 
substances, which, based on scientific research, we see more frequently 
used by young people in Cyprus and the European Union in general. The 
information used for the awareness campaign was taken by EKTEPN statistics, 
which paint the picture of Cyprus' drug phenomenon."

The same campaign was designed and recently implemented in Spain and given 
to the Anti-drugs council to use as part of a Twinning Project between the 
two countries, he said.

Theodotou stressed the importance of the media's role in getting the 
message across to today's youngsters.

"I call on the media to support the Anti-drugs Council in this huge attempt 
to make aware and inform our youth as far as the drug problem and its 
dangers are concerned, as well as the consequences their use has. The drug 
problem is a serious social problem and the mass media's ability to reach a 
wider portion of the population makes it an ideal tool to spread messages, 
shape attitudes, beliefs and behaviours."

The advert also gives the Anti-drugs council phone number and a website 
which will be up and running next week.

Meanwhile council member Stelios Sergides said the council was currently 
trying to implement a "narco-test". The test, he said, would be used in a 
similar way to the alco-test (alcohol test) and test to what extent 
motorists were driving under the influence of alcohol.

He said: "At the moment, we have no evidence to support that people drive 
under the influence of drugs, particularly cannabis. However, we believe a 
number of drivers do in the same way as they do in other countries." 
Sergides said the council was assessing ways in which to enforce this plan 
and was examining similar models used abroad. 
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