ABOUT THE MEDIA PARTNERSHIP
THE NEED
While drug use is down 32% nationally, and rates of use have fallen among Connecticut's
youth, they continue to use alcohol and drugs too often, too much and too early.
They use at rates higher than their peers in the rest of the country and suffer
adverse consequences including poor school performance, involvement in the juvenile
justice system, mental health problems, and even death. The media can have a
significant influence on attitudes toward drugs, attitudes that can pre-dispose
children to use--or not use--drugs. The media can influence adult and parental
attitudes and communication with children about drugs.
ABOUT US
The Governor's Prevention Partnership partnered early on with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America to form an unprecedented alliance with the state's media, creating the Media
Partnership that now includes more than 90 media outlets, including radio, print,
television and non-traditional outlets. Together, the Media Partnership members
have donated more than $12 million in pro bono placements of anti-drug public
service announcements over the last 12 years.
In addition to distributing Partnership for a Drug-Free America PSAs, the Media
Partnership also executes special campaigns to advance its mission. These include
Alcohol Awareness Month, to raise awareness about underage drinking, and National
Mentoring Month, to recruit mentors for children in Connecticut. Other special
campaigns have targeted specific drugs such as Ecstasy, marijuana and inhalants.
The Partnership also has created media campaigns for the State of Connecticut
with topics such as drop-out prevention, post 9/11 survivors and gambling prevention.
RESULTS
A study published in the August 2002 issue of the American Journal of Public
Health found anti-drug advertising is associated with a reduced probability of
marijuana and cocaine/crack use among adolescents. Other research draws similar
conclusions. In "The Impact of Anti-Drug Advertising," researchers for the Department
of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that the
majority of middle and high school students exposed to anti-drug advertising identified
a positive impact of the ads on their knowledge, beliefs and attitudes pertaining
to drug use. Further, 75% of these students perceived that the ads had a deterrent
impact on their own actual or intended drug use.
In Connecticut there is reason to believe that anti-drug messages have played
a part in reducing youth drug use. A recent Department of Mental Health and Addiction
survey shows a decrease in the use of gateway drugs among youth, especially cigarettes,
marijuana and alcohol. In 2000, 24% of 7th and 8th graders reporting drinking
behaviors, compared with 27.1% in 1997. And, 22% of 9th and 10th graders reported
using marijuana in 2000, compared with 26.9% in 1997.
For more information on how to become a media partner contact:
Win Heimer, Communications Specialist, 860.523.8042, Ext. 19.
