Federally-funded studies have repeatedly revealed the ad campaign to be a failure:
There is little evidence of direct favorable Campaign effects on youth, either for the Marijuana Initiative period or for the Campaign as whole. The trend data in marijuana use is not favorable, and for the primary target audience, 14- to 16-year-olds, past year use increased from 2000 through 2003...It's only a matter of time before elected officials take away all of little Johnny's allowance and send him to bed without any dinner.
I can't say it any better than Melissa at DPA does here, in her open letter to the Drug Czar:
It's a matter of time before America cuts you off completely, so make a move and walk away with some dignity.
I know it's painful to hear, but America's just not that into you, and she never will be. I'm sure you wish it could be different, but as we say down South, "You can wish in one hand and sh** in the other and see which one gets filled first."
Drug Czar displays how much his budget will be next year: zero
5 comments:
First, Melissa, you rock my world.
Second, I would only counter that budgets are being slashed left and right, with $49.9 billion being trimmed off the budget just recently in the House. This included spending on social programs for the poor along with farm subsidies and student loans, which signals they weren't just trimming the hedges.
I still call it a victory, but I don't think it signals a reconsideration on the part of our elected representatives - rather, a tightening of the belt.
Tom Angell bitch slapped the czar last year at the National Press Club...that's why his funding is being cut.
100 mil is still too much. Wish I had 100 million...
I could burn it and it'd still be better spent than those commercials. At least it would keep me warm a while :D
this blog really sucks. Sounds like a lot of whining and not a lot of action.
Jonathon,
You're absolutely right about the general belt-tightening going on here in DC recently.
However, I do think it's still very significant that the Drug Czar's ad budget was chosen as one of the programs to be reduced. We're seeing a change in attitude toward the importance of anti-drug programs like this. Even about five years ago or so, it would be seen as blasphemy to even think about reducing spending for progam like this.
What's more is that the budget for this particular program has been cut significantly for each of the last three years or so - a general decline which signals growing disapproval for these offensive and misleading ads.
We're making progress!
...
Oh, and Mr/Mrs Anonymous:
We welcome anonymous posts and especially constructive criticism here, but if you really had a point to make that you believed in, you'd post critiques of SSDP and/or our blog behind a name. Don't waste your and our time with pointless incendiary remarks.
Oh, and if you do want to learn about the action that SSDPers around the country ARE taking, have a look around www.ssdp.org.
Post a Comment