Cutting the Cord on Failing Anti-Drug Ads

Congress will cut the drug czar's anti-drug advertising budget by more than a third next year, continuing a decline for the ads, which have been proven ineffective by repeated studies.

House and Senate negotiators reached agreement on a 2010 Appropriations bill yesterday, and the bill includes $45 million for the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, a reduction of $25 million from last year (and less than half of what we were spending in 2006).

Several studies have found problems with the anti-drug advertising campaigns, but the best known finding is an extensive report commissioned by the Government Accountability Office in 2006. The report found that not only did government anti-drug ads fail to have an impact on drug use, they actually made use seem more common and normal -- perhaps leading more kids to try drugs. The full report is available here.

I don't dispute the power of advertising to influence behavior. The anti-tobacco advertising in recent years has been powerful and studies have shown it to be effective. My issue with anti-drug ads from the government is that, just like our drug war, they have often missed the mark -- badly. By targeting marijuana, for example, the government has lost credibility in its message against drugs that are actually dangerous.

Probably the most famous anti-drug ad in American history is the "Your Brain on Drugs" campaign pictured above. VH1's Best Week Ever posted the 10 funniest anti-drug ads ever. "Your Brain" made the list, but some are much worse. This one for example:

Via LEAP