Pubdate: Sat, 01 May 2004 Source: Seattle Sinner, The (WA) Contact: http://www.seattlesinner.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2876 Author: Chuck Foster DRUGS AT WAR - THE NEW AD CAMPAIGN My daughter was staying with me for the summer when I found out she had took up the addictive habit of smoking. She was twelve at the time and was literally terrified by the notion of me telling her mother. Of course I would never handle a situation this delicate by informing her hypocritical Christian mother, and by letting her know that our relationship strengthened. I didn't punish her, and by throwing the parental fear-factor out the window she felt comfortable opening up to me about her smoking. The first thing I decided to do was give her as much information as I could on smoking. The second step I took was warn her of the consequences she would face if her mother caught her. Third, and most importantly, I left the decision of smoking up to her. Less than a year later she quit and her mother never knew anything of the incident. Allowing our children to make decisions on their own can have positive outcomes; depending on the child and the manner it's handled. The worst thing to do is lie, and that's exactly what caused the DEA's last ad campaign against drugs to fail. Children and parents, like myself, who smoke pot found the old commercials ridiculous, exaggerated, and more than anything, nonfactual. The old refer madness technique with the crazed pot smoker doesn't work any longer because most of us have tried pot or know people who have used it. So our DEA, with the help of our mighty tax dollars, has launched a new campaign. One that started with a commercial during last years super bowl that went for around $2,000,000 for a thirty second clip, followed by another during the post-game show. These new commercials and ads are now putting pressure on parents to influence their children against drug and alcohol use. It's a great idea, but the sad truth for most families today is that they barely see their kids, much less have time to influence them. Strangely, these commercials never show the real-life scenario of families working two jobs or more just trying to make ends-meat so they can pay for these commercials. The DEA's affiliate site, www.mediacampaign.org , has over 160 new ads presently running through out the country on television, radio and print, mostly targeted at alcohol and marijuana. These ads are also ran in several different languages, since there isn't any value placed on saving a youth's life; unless it comes to medical coverage, then they're on their own. Even though the ads may have changed some the message of lies and twisted facts they present have not. On one ad it instructs parents to watch for their children missing school, using incense, talking in slang, wearing clothes that promote drugs, and even using mouthwash or breath mints to detect possible habits. These are the same foolish and misleading suggestion that my mother followed twenty years ago. The same ones that never worked. My daughter asked me about drinking and drugs not too long ago. I explained that I felt the idea of laws to distinguish the legality of a drug and/or establish an acceptable age to use it was an unachievable goal, especially in this country today. I told her that it would be best to never use any kind of drug, including legal ones. I also explained that responsibility is the key to focus on in this confusing world, that addiction and over-consumption of any product can be devastating on her life. And that's what's most important to me. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart