Do the scare tactics used in the anti-meth advertising work?

     We saw in class some of the ads used by The Meth Project in order to try and impact the growing methamphetamine problem in the United States. The methods used to discourage use are mainly scare tactics, which tend to be ineffective when trying to teach other subjects such as sexual education, for example. So I wanted to find out whether or not these ads were having a positive effect.

     According to the Montana Meth Project website, before the ad campaign started in 2005, Montana ranked #5 in the nation for meth abuse. Since 2005, Montana ranks #39 in the nation for meth abuse, teen meth use has declined by 63%, adult meth use has declined by 72%, and meth-related crime has decreased by 62%. The site states, “Results in Montana have proven the effectiveness of the Meth Project's prevention campaign. As a model prevention program for states nationwide, the Meth Project has expanded into Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, and Wyoming. Additional states are expected to launch in the coming year.” It’s encouraging to see that these ad campaigns are swaying the minds of those who are at risk of trying the harmful drug.

Dan FR

References:

http://montana.methproject.org/Results/index.php

http://www.methproject.org/about/