our strongest defence against the drug problem...

just received this booklet in the mail today.
made for an interesting read about the different drugs and their street names. alot of them i have never heard of but there you go. yet an election is on the way
------------------
rollin' and strollin', its kinda like bowlin'. my head's kinda big and it feels kinda swollin'!!

I was reasonably impressed with the booklet - it was only mild propagander, and the information was fairly sensible. It still has that "government" stench that taints it's credibility a bit, but at least they're being slightly logical...
I was expecting much worse...
------------------
"The love in your heart wasn't put there to stay...
Love isn't love, till you give it away."

bring your opinions on...I'm interested what you all think. Considering I can't actually read the thing.

thanks hijukal
well, I think it's pretty balanced. and they're taking the right approach. they're encouraging open discussion about drugs between parents and teenagers. and informing the parents to enable them to have the discussions.
it's healthy to keep talking about the dangers of drugs because they *are* dangerous. if everyone says it's ok to take them, kids aren't going to be wary of the dangers involved. at least with everyone telling them not to take them, they're going to be careful when/if they do.
anyway...i think they've done ok. haven't seen the tv ads yet though....

There's also another thread here about the TV commercials.
http://www.bluelight.ru/ubb/Forum10/HTML/003469.html?reload=16
BigTrancer
------------------
Load universe into cannon. Aim at brain. Shoot.

i handed the booklet to my mum and said 'mum, read this and protect me from drugs' but she just laughed at me.. heh
eloise

i reckon the whole campaign is a very transparent attempt to get votes for the election coming up.
but their is some good info on parents and talking to their kids, tho i must admit my old man chucked it out as soon as he saw it.
so at least the government is trying to help people cope if they have problems, tho it all seems a little coincedental that they only get the arse into gear leading into election time.
also some of those adds are just plain scare tactics. which as everyone knows, you try and scare someone into not taking drugs and their more likely goin to take cos it has such appeal.
thats my two cents.

It's just a hollow advertising campaign!
The "brochure" contains even less information than I could have imagined!!!
What about all the incosistencies in effects and putting things into the same categories to make them all sound equally as bad?
Obviously they got some advertising company to make it up, and then didn't even run it past some people who have tried the drugs to make sure the info was correct...
For example putting pcp in the same category as mdma and saying they can cause you to commit suicide!!!!!!!
Errmm no, hating your life and the world will do that, or being treated unfairly by the government might do it!!! Talk about passing on the blame...
Also things like putting one of the effects of hallucinagens (sp?) as "euphoria" and yet not putting that as one of the effects of mdma! All these tiny things go to show they didn't really care what they wrote! Even though it doesn't really say much, and may seem harmless, it is still promoting misinformation...
And the "things to say to your kids" part didn't answer anything did it?
The biggest double standard and reason kids could give for taking drugs has still not been addressed, and probably never will be as long as government gets taxes from alcohol and tabacco companies! The acceptance of alcohol by most parents is enough of a mixed message to make their kids not believe them when they say "drugz'r'baaad"...
Obviously the drug laws are unfair and not based on anything but moral judgement
I wonder how much their little flyer drop cost??? I'm sure it would be a disgusting amount... if parents were concerned about their kids taking drugs, they could find out more info with their eyes closed! Definitely an election gimmick...
------------------
"Go peddle your kippers elsewhere clown" - Renwaldo Hoek

one thing i found extremely amusing was when a friend of mine who happens to be 17 and doing year 12 told me that among several of her high school peers it has suddenly become fashionable to be experimenting with various illicit substances, all thanks to a particular booklet containing descriptions and details of all our favourite pastimes.
oh the irony is unbearable!
------------------
The fact is that nothing becomes as old as quickly as a new s o u n d
-Slide Beneath The City-

I think it to be a step in the right direction......rather than a blatant 'just say no' approach. Communication is always the answer.
But in reply to above post : $27 Million.
Maybe they could go the Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) approach : Hugs Not Drugs.

If they just sent out a 100 dollars to 270000 people they'd get more votes. Heck, they could just send out IOU's redemable after the election.

I really got the overall feeling that this is the howard governments way to address an issue, but immediately palm it off to another party to blame if something should fuck up...
and this time they are palming it off to the parents.
I.E. 'your son/daughter is dead because you didnt talk to them about how bad drugs are, so they went out and took drugs and now they are dead, we showed you how to approach the subject and lay the rules for them in the book, but they still did it so its your fault...'
Its not my mum and dads fault that i like my chemicals, its not because my parents didnt educate me enough that I got curious to try them. They talked to me at an early age about what they knew about drugs and educated me to the knowledge that they had about drugs. Now I would hope that they trust me enough to make my own educated descisions about what I put in my body, which they seem to do.
This has the desperate ring of a failing election ploy, because little johnnyboy has the reverse midas touch of totally fucking up everything he touches (metaphorically speaking) im hoping that he fails this election miserably...
this book is soooo a load of bollocks, even my mum thinks its bullshit!
Andromeda
------------------
***This starship breaks for black holes and temporal disunities***

Drug ads unrealistic, says judge
By CHLOE SALTAU
SOCIAL POLICY REPORTER
Thursday 5 April 2001
The notion of a "war on drugs" was counterproductive and the Federal Government's advertising campaign was unrealistic and "firmly middle class", a Family Court judge said yesterday.
Justice Sally Brown, also a former chief magistrate of Victoria, said explicit advertisements and pamphlets urging parents to discuss illicit drugs with their children ignored parents who were drug users themselves and made the mistake of lumping all drugs together regardless of their different dangers.
from here : ]http://www.theage.com.au/news/2001/04/05/FFXZFUNY3LC.html

Click to expand...

------------------
The fact is that nothing becomes as old as quickly as a new s o u n d
-Slide Beneath The City-
[This message has been edited by MíkeySåmmy (edited 05 April 2001).]

I thought the strategy was a load of crap, aimed at pacifying the middle class in an election year. It ignored alcohol, and continues the myth that legal drugs are ok, and illicit (non-taxable) drugs are bad. In reality, all drugs have the potential to ruin lives.
A better strategy would have been to target all drugs: street, prescription, therapeutic, alcohol, cigarettes etc.
Sally Brown's comments on the strategy were the best I have seen in the media, at least she understands what's going on.
I think someone should try to educate Mr. Howard. Taking him to see Requiem for a Dream would be a good start. Unfortunately, he probably wouldn't understand Requiem, and would probably try and have it banned. As a footnote, the TV commercials seem pretty lame after seeing Requiem.

it was such a vague artical, definate stench of a last chance effort to buy votes. i would never think that a government who was looking to curb australia's young from taking drugs has distributed such a un-informative booklet.
yes communication is a big step, ive told my parents bout my occasional drug use and dad says that "i cannot fault your basic trust and honesty, if you dont have that then you have no family"
im gunna send little johnny this page.....
------------------
no mum there my vitamin tablets you want one? Bwah hahahaha

"i'm gunna send little johnny this page"
I don't think that would necessarily be a good idea.
------------------
Load universe into cannon. Aim at brain. Shoot.

No, it wouldn't.
I've always got the impression little Johnny and his friends would really rather this place, and others like it, didn't exist.
Then when they told us 'drugs are bad, mmmkay?' we wouldn't have any option but to believe them, would we?
As it stands the information in the book is mostly accurate, unless you are informed about drugs, which is where you see a definite slanting of the information.
It's obvious if they didn't lump all drugs in together, little johnny's worried Mum Da may say "oh, thank goodness. Julies just taking e and the occasional spliff so we don't really have to worry about her becoming a crack-whore." rather than experience full-blown paranoia.
can't wait for the next two in the series.

Considering that this booklet is aimed at schoolkids, i'm wondering why cigarettes and alcohol aren't mentioned...actually i'm not really wondering...they're taxable. It's also interesting to note that those two substances are most addictive. I don't know anyone that is addicted to e, but i know quite a few people that love their ciggies!