Pubdate: Wed, 02 Jan 2008
Source: Irish Examiner (Ireland)
Copyright: Examiner Publications Ltd, 2008
Contact:  http://www.irishexaminer.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/144
Author: Cormac O'Keeffe

ANTI-DRUGS PR CAMPAIGN SLATED BY REVIEW GROUP

THE last national drug awareness campaign was riddled with problems
and ultimately "fell short" of its objectives, according to an
independent review.

The publication of the report comes as the Government prepares to
launch its latest campaign against the background of a worsening drugs
problem and a number of high-profile deaths, including Katy French.

In a detailed study, the review said:

* the campaign was badly limited by poor funding.

* the steering committee "disintegrated" over time.

* there was a lack of clarity about who the campaign was aimed at and
what its objectives were.

* there was a lack of community involvement.

* the campaign's credibility and impact was lessened by excluding
alcohol.

"The National Drugs Awareness Campaign can be seen to have fallen
short of the previously identified criteria for success that in turn
may have reduced the latent effectiveness of the campaign," it said.

The awareness campaign ran between 2003 and 2005 and was a key
priority in the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008. Its aim was to
raise awareness about drugs in the general population through a
"measurable change" in the knowledge of targeted groups.

The campaign involved television and radio advertising, posters and
brochures, specific campaigns on cocaine and cannabis, a nationwide
roadshow and a website.

A steering group was set up by the health promotion unit in the
Department of Health, and included representatives from health
promotion managers, the drugs strategy unit, the gardai, Health
Service Executive (HSE), media experts, drug education officers and
the National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD).

The review was commissioned by the NACD and was conducted by a team
from the department of health promotion in NUI Galway, as part of
which it interviewed members of the steering committee.

The researchers said that by phase three of the campaign most of those
interviewed "were negative, not just about the effects of this
campaign, but about media campaigns in general".

The review said campaigns require "dedicated extensive funding and
careful time management" and that "substantial learning" had been
gained last time.

The HSE is driving the next national drug awareness campaign,
scheduled for the start of 2008 . It will include an online awareness
initiative and a specific initiative on cocaine.

This cocaine campaign, said a HSE spokesman, will "dispel the popular
myth that cocaine is a recreational and social drug, which is clean
and somehow less harmful than opiates".
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MAP posted-by: Derek