ONDCP and Partnership for a Drug-Free America...

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America (the Partnership) unveiled a new advertising campaign targeting methamphetamine.  Designed to mobilize individuals and local community groups to reduce meth use at the local level, the new effort was launched in Springfield, MO, the first of 23 U.S. cities in which the ad campaign will run.

John Walters, director of ONDCP, said “The methamphetamine challenge has touched communities across this nation differently, but its devastating consequences are borne by all Americans.  By helping to educate our citizens about the misery and destruction meth causes, we can work to make this problem smaller.  Together with our state and local partners, we are aggressively pushing back against the drug and are working to make America a safer place.”

The ad campaign combines real-life stories of people impacted by methamphetamine with scenarios that depict the unique secondhand threat meth poses to communities at large.  The campaign’s two main themes, “So, Who Has the Drug Problem Now?” and “End Meth in Your Town,” challenge individuals to learn more about the threats meth poses to their families and their communities.

“With concern about meth spreading across America and being introduced to a new generation unfamiliar with the lethal nature of this drug, preventative action is essential,” said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the Partnership. “If we can persuade parents and community leaders to take a stand against this drug, we can ensure that meth will not become the next drug of choice of a new generation.”

Once a threat largely in the Southwest, methamphetamine moved steadily eastward, with especially severe impact on the Midwest, Northwest, and portions of the South. 

Nationwide, approximately 12 million people have tried meth at least once, with 1.4 million people reporting use in the past year.  While national prevalence data show meth use in the United States is slowly declining, illegal meth labs continue to threaten communities and strain local law enforcement resources in affected regions.

The research-based advertising campaign was subject to rigorous qualitative testing and proved to resonate among community members, spurring them to seek information on meth and to take part in their community’s efforts to fight the drug.  All advertising spots direct audiences to www.drugfree.org/meth.

The anti-meth ads will also run in Atlanta, Austin, Cedar Rapids, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Des Moines, Grand Rapids, Miami, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Minneapolis, Portland, Raleigh-Durham, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle, Savannah, and Tampa/St. Petersburg.