Negative Media Drug Use

The War On Drugs: On June 17, 1971 President Nixon declared war on drugs saying that they are "public enemy number one in the United States". Today much of the media depicts Nixon's War as a lost war, however it never ends. Why, because it is endlessly fundable and creates a ton of revenue for our country (American Drug War). In fact, The War on Drugs has created numerous opportunities in advertising, health facilities, and government agencies. The agency we wish to focus on is The partnership for a Drug Free America- which according to wikipedia is a not for profit that uses advertising to reduce drug use in young people.According to an article in the USA TODAY it is estimated that around $100 million per year is spent by the federal government on anti-drug advertising. This article along with an article by Brian Bennett claims that the advertising doesn't even work. Bennett says, "John Walters, America's latest drug czar, has come forward and admitted that $929 million in anti-drug advertising over the past five years has accomplished absolutely nothing. That hasn't prevented his asking for another $180 million to continue the ads next year, however."
In a press release by Senator Charles Grassley (2007) who is a leader in the Senate in the fight against drug abuse, co-chairman of the Senate Caucus of International Narcotics Control and a member of the Senate Anti-Meth Caucus said that since 1998 the Federal Government spent over $1.5 billion to make ads to prevent teen drug use. Grassley states, "I fear that we continue to spend precious anti-drug dollars to fund increasingly mediocre ads that fail to effectively reach our nation's youth." Grassley also says several studies over time show that the current media campaign is not effective and he is concerned "the media campaign is failing to reach and deliver an important message to our teens."

Illicit Drugs In the Media (some of these include Partnership for a Drug Free America Ads not seen above... see where your tax dollars go):