According to a study released today by Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, teens are less likely to try meth even once, thanks in large part to work done by the Colorado Meth Project.
The phone survey polled 602 teens between seventh and twelfth grade. It shows that now 88 percent of teens see "great risk" in trying meth once or twice, already a marked improvement from attitudes logged in 2009. Knowledge of even specific risks of taking the drug was up by about 10 points on all counts, and 94 percent answered that trying meth would put them at great risk for addiction.
Statistics from the Colorado Meth Project show that 41 percent of meth addicts in treatment tried the drug at age 17 or younger, and that meth-related crime in Colorado is 56 percent higher than the national average
“Teens are getting the message about the risks of using Meth, and more importantly, disapproval of the drug amongst their peers has increased,” said Julie Mordecai, Executive Director of the Colorado Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs. “It is not easy to change teen attitudes, and it is even more challenging to get them to speak up. The Colorado Meth Project is doing both and is making a real difference in communities across the state.”
The third wave of ads done by the Meth Project--the national non-profit organization affiliated with Colorado--are directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, who recently directed the critically acclaimed Black Swan.
Scroll down to view the new ad directed by Darren Aronofsky.
Controversial though they may be, the survey asserts their effectiveness in Colorado and they have won 45 awards including the Cannes Lions Award at the Cannes International Advertising Festival.
In a statement, Suthers said:
These results show that thanks to the Colorado Meth Project we are changing attitudes about methamphetamine and making real progress in reducing demand for the drug.
Prevention is a crucial component of Colorado’s fight against Meth, particularly as we are seeing
troubling increases in the drug’s availability. According to the Justice Department, the supply of
Meth is at its highest level, highest purity, and lowest cost in five years, largely as a result of the
Mexican drug cartels’ increased involvement in Meth trafficking.