By Thomas A. Hedrick, Jr.

By the time a teen has graduated from high school, they will have spent approximately 12,000 hours in school – and 15,000 watching the tube. Kids take their cues from mass media – from television, radio, the Internet. Every parent in America instinctively understands how influential mass media can be on children.

With that in mind -- and in an unprecedented effort to reduce drug use in this country -- the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), under the leadership of Barry McCaffrey, has joined with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America (PDFA) to maximize the power of mass media in the fight against drugs.

We can cut demand for illegal drugs among our children, and this campaign will help us do so. It’s a new, innovative approach to public service -- one that will operate like a commercial marketing campaign, buying prime media exposure (with one percent – or $195 million – of the federal anti-drug budget) to reach children, teens and parents to deliver with powerful, hard-hitting messages about drugs. The plan builds upon the generosity media companies have shown in the past, and its success depends on their continued support.

While drug abuse continues to plague our society, we know we can deal with this problem effectively. Today, adult drug use is holding at or near 10-year lows, a fact that too often goes unnoticed. One of the main factors for this remarkable success was the profound shift in public attitudes about drugs in the mid 1980s, driven by the depiction of drug abuse in mass media, experts believe anti-drug PSAs contribute to these trends. In the early 90s, however, as economic and competitive market forces in the media industry resulted in significantly less exposure for anti-drug PSAs – and the overall focus on the drug problem diminished – drug-related attitudes among kids began to soften. Fewer kids began viewing drugs as risky, and drug use among kids began increasing.

Can we draw a direct link between the decline in media attention and the rise in teen drug use? The correlative data sure are strong. Those numbers suggest that mass media focus on this issue can have a positive deterrent effect on kids’ attitudes about drugs.

At the beginning of this year, General McCaffrey’s office and the Partnership launched, in 12 American cities, the first wave of this new anti-drug youth campaign. The early feedback has been encouraging: Calls to a help-line featured in the ads increased 300 percent.

Advertising works. There’s a reason why corporations pour millions into advertising campaigns. Those 30- and 60-second commercials influence attitudes, which then influence decisions about what to – or not to – buy. PDFA’s advertising uses the same principle to un-sell drugs.

All of the Partnership’s advertising – all of it – has been produced, free-of-charge, by the advertising industry. With over 400 messages in our inventory, advertising agencies have donated over $50 million in advertising to the Partnership’s campaign. The advertising industry will continue donating its work to the Partnership, which will provide all ads to the new national campaign (PDFA will receive no funding in this program).

With each dollar spent to buy media exposure for the campaign, media companies have been asked to match, dollar for dollar, with in-kind contributions and broadcast time and print space. Their participation has the potential to elevate the reach of the campaign to $350 - $400 million. With the purchase media alone, the effort will rank as the 15^th largest single brand advertising brand in the country -- bigger than American Express, Nike and Sprint. With the government investing millions, continued support by media companies is crucial.

We can and will reverse current trends with teens and children, but let’s be very clear. Advertising and mass media alone won’t solve the drug problem. Solutions to the drug problem will only come through local action. That’s why this media campaign is so important – it is designed to support the critically important work of each and every local drug prevention, education and treatment program in America, pushing the issues that concern these organizations to the forefront.

The youth media campaign is a true partnership between the federal government, the media and PDFA/advertising industry. If executed properly, this campaign may prove to be the most cost-effective, cost-efficient drug prevention initiative ever undertaken. History has shown us a hard lesson; we are now seeing what happens to this country’s children when we take our attention away from consistently communicating the dangers of drug use. This new campaign respects lessons learned -- and builds upon successes overlooked.