ONDCP's Latest Spots Are Tagged, 'Above the Influence.' WASHINGTON - A Government Accountability Office probe of the White House's anti-drug media campaign has found that the $1 billion-plus spent on the effort so far has not been effective in reducing teen drug use. The report recommends that Congress limit funding until the Office of National Drug Control Policy "provides credible evidence of a media campaign approach that effectively prevents and curtails youth drug use." The report comes at a time when Congress is poised to take up the anti-drug media campaign budget when it returns from its recess. The campaign's current budget is $99 million, the lowest since the effort began in 1998. ONDCP has asked for $120 million next year. The Senate agrees with that amount, but the House has recommended $100,000. [continues 743 words]
WASHINGTON -- A group of House Republicans has proposed eliminating the White House's anti-drug media campaign and several other federal programs to pay for the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. The group, called the Republican Study Committee, said in its proposal released this week that "there is no solid evidence that media campaigns are effective in either preventing or reducing the use of illegal drugs." The group, headed by Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., estimated the cut would save the government $1.3 billion over 10 years. [continues 132 words]
Early-Intervention Campaign From FCB, Ogilvy Kicks Off On Super Bowl WASHINGTON The White House's latest anti-drug media effort, which launches during the Super Bowl this Sunday, links drug use with drinking in TV ads for the first time in the campaign's five-year history, sources said. The new work, from New York shops Foote Cone & Belding and Ogilvy & Mather, also promotes the concept of "early intervention" - another first. That marks a shift in focus from the campaign's usual prevention-based messages. Early intervention is a drug-treatment strategy favored by drug czar John Walters. [continues 877 words]
'This Bill Reflects A Concern About How The Program Has Been Managed In The Past.' WASHINGTON -- The draft of a Senate bill that would oust Ogilvy & Mather from the White House's anti-drug media campaign and give the Partnership for a Drug-Free America as much control over strategy as the Office of National Drug Control Policy is the latest sign that lawmakers intend to rein in an effort they feel has run amok, congressional and other sources said. "This bill reflects a concern about how the program has been managed in the past," one congressional source said. [continues 825 words]