In this issue:

NBC Adopts Prevention Themes in Popular Teen Line Up

Phase III of Media Campaign Takes Off

The Campaign in the Community: The Wisconsin National Guard

Fleishman-Hillard Heads Program and Outreach Initiatives

Ogilvy & Mather Leads Advertising Component

Advertising Council Awarded Contract

ABC and AOL Partner With ONDCP; Online Areas Launched for Parents, Youth, Prevention

Online Banner Ads Reach Target Audiences

Campaign Ads Now Available on Web Site

Media Campaign Reaches Multi-Cultural Populations

Pro Bono Advertising Match Aids Local Organizations

"Parenting is Prevention" Teleconferencing Initiative: 1999 Calendar

Numbers Show Success and Potential for Drug Control

By Director Barry R. McCaffrey

Drug use declined last year among children aged 12 to 17, falling from 12.9 percent to 12.1 percent, after five straight years of increasing drug use among our youth. The modest decrease in overall use was coupled with other promising trends in that demographic, such as a rising disapproval rate for marijuana. More children are rejecting drugs for the first time in five years, and we plan to continue these trends into the next millennium.

Also on the domestic front, drug-related violence is plummeting. According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Statistics, drug-related murders declined from 1,239 in 1994 to 786 in 1997 - a massive decrease and a ten-year low.

Thanks to strong partnerships with a number of international organizations, military, and law enforcement agencies, we saw coca cultivation decline in South America over the past four years. As a result, potential cocaine production declined by nearly 50 percent in Peru from 1995 to 1998, while Bolivia saw a decrease of over 40 percent from 1994 to 1998.

The campaign is exceeding all expectations in its early stages. Campaign advertisements, produced by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America (PDFA), have generated a substantial increase in requests for anti-drug publications and a heightened awareness of anti-drug messages. Phone calls to the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol & Drug Information (NCADI) have increased by 318 percent, while 50,000 public service announcement (PSA) spots have been submitted from partner organizations for the pro bono match.

Over the past year, we received $175.4 million in free public service (mostly PSAs), most of which went to our national and local partner organizations, and $42 million in corporate "in-kind"contributions. The entertainment industry got heavily involved in the campaign, airing 32 television programs that included key concepts, themes, and messages emphasized by the media campaign. Ninety-five percent of the target audience is receiving seven anti-drug messages per week.

The campaign is not merely an advertising campaign - it is a social marketing effort, designed to heighten awareness in our youth and fundamentally shift their opinions on drug use. It is designed to ensure that the messages in young people's environments from the media, parents, coaches, pop culture, and the Internet influence their perceptions and attitude. We see that beginning to happen in these new statistics and developing trends. I am confident that potential new partners in this campaign will also recognize this strong environment for change and agree to assist us in our cause.

I urge everyone to join our growing coalition and participate in what promises to be a socially beneficial and exceptionally successful program. Capitalize on the umbrella of visibility resulting from the campaign by taking the initiative, and/or partnering with existing groups on the national or local level.