In 2005, Montana launched a campaign aimed at reducing meth use in the state by raising awareness about the drug's potentially fatal risks. Three years later, organizers of the Montana Meth Project are seeing - and celebrating - the campaign's impact.

"When the meth project first started its highly visible campaign in September 2005, Montana ranked fifth in methamphetamine abuse. Today, Montana is 39th. In 2008, teen meth use is down 45 percent from 2005... and meth-related crime has decreased by 62 percent."

The campaign was initially funded by an individual donor, but the goal has always been to make it self-funding, officials said. In 2009, organizers plan to push for a $2 million allocation from the state legislature, an amount that they say will be enough to fund the project for two more years. Source: Missoulian News

Labels: awareness, decline, meth

The Idaho Meth project has begun using an aggressive and somewhat disturbing ad campaign to try and curb the drug's popularity. The project is based on the Montana Meth Project, which - in two years - has seen adult meth use decline by 70 percent.

"Idaho launched the campaign in January. It includes TV ads, radio ads and billboard spots across the state. 'This is not a pretty drug,' [Executive Director Megan Ronk] says. 'This is not something we can sugar coat.'"

The goal of the ads is to create awareness, and opportunities for parents to talk to their kids about the drugs. The state has committed to running the campaign until meth use is "no longer an issue". Read more at KXLY.com.

Labels: media, meth, prevention