Pot Education Blitz - Herald-Sun 12/7/00

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for your ready pleasure.......
LANDMARK CAMPAIGN TO POINT OUT DANGERS
The first campaign against marijuana abuse in Victoria will be used to warn of the physical, psychological and social dangers of the drug.
State drug advisor Professor David Penington is expected to announce the project next week as part of a broader damage-control strategy. Dr Penington said the landmark campaign followed an unsuccessful attempt to gain support for the move by former premier Jeff Kennett.
a media blitz is expected, possibly including television advertisements. The Penington committee and Vichealth will jointly announce the scheme. Dr. Penington said the community needed to understand the realistic dangers of the drug. "It's not primarily an addiction problem, it's the behavioural changes that occur with heavy abuse." he said. "Which leads to people dropping out of school and out of employment, and leads to them spending so much of their time with other people who are smoking cannabis."
The marijuana campaign will be part of an overall prevention strategy being examined by the drug-policy expert committee. In his first major drugs report under the Kennett government, Dr Penington recommended marijuana laws be liberalised. Parts of that report were adopted by the then government and Dr. Penington has since been apppointed head of the Labor Gov. committee. Prevention through education is one of the key areas being examined. Dr Penington said other drugs were also on the agenda.
"We believe it needs to be tackled as a health issue just as alcohol abuse causes serious problems and indeed more deaths than cannabis abuse," he said. "We need to talk about alcohol, about cannabis and tabacco and other drugs."

 

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maybe they should call the campaign REEFER MADNESS I'm sure that'll work

 

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SHOCK DRUG ADS TO AIM AT YOUNG
Herald Sun - Melbourne 21/7/00
A shock advertising campaign could be used to warn young Victorians about the dangers of drugs. It would highlight the dangers of using and abusing various drugs, with the advertisements assessed and changed over a 10-year period.
Victorian health authorities are investigating the proposal to stop young people experimenting with drugs. State Government drugs advisor David Penington said it was up to government and the community to deter drug use. "It is not enough just to respond once a young person finds themselves dependant," he said.
Prof. Penington said more than half of Victoria's Year 12 students had tried marijuana. He said decdriminalisation of the drug was not on the agenda and more needed to be done to stop widespread cannabis use among young people.
"The incidence of cannabis abuse is of particular concern," he said. "The harmful impacts of cannabis use have been underestimated by some sections of the community who see its use as low risk."
International drug prevention experts will attend a forum in Melbourne next week as part of the campaign to stop drug abuse. The forum on July 26 and 27 will consider drug education campaigns, the role of the family, counselling services and school based programs. VicHealth chief executive Dr. Rob Moodie said Victoria was examining an anit-drug advertising campaign being run in Switzerland. But he said it was vital to ensure such advertisements did not inadvertently encourage people to experiment with drugs.