METH CAMPAIGN AIMED AT TEEN-AGERS PULLS NO PUNCHES

What's the future of methamphetamine abuse? Law enforcement and courts attack the supply.

But that's just half the battle. Demand must also decrease and authorities are targeting today's youth.

A new graphic government PR push to squash methamphetamine use among teens 13 to 17 borders on scare tactics.

There's no sugar coating here. "Just Say No" seems quaint in comparison.

That image is just fine with John Q. Harrington, creative director of NKH&W advertising agency in Kansas City that developed the campaign.

He wants the graphic posters and commercials to make kids hesitate before experimenting with meth.

"This is a scare tactic totally based on reality," he said. "Meth is terribly frightening stuff."

One poster shows a twisted skeletal face. The skin seems melted away.

Another depicts a man on fire. The strong text leaves nothing to the imagination: Meth causes everything from tooth erosion and open sores to unbearable fevers that literally cook your organs and make your flesh rot.

A third poster reveals a man tied to a chair. He is shrieking in paranoia and pain as monster-like faces watch.

Harrington said his team interviewed some 20 addicts in formulating the hard-hitting campaign. It launched in late March.

He said past drug campaigns were so politically-correct that they left high school students laughing.

The "Life or Meth" push targets Missouri, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota -- the five states that make up the Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. It promotes a 24-hour Crank Hotline, 1-888-664-4673.

Some people are disturbed by the ads, said Chris Whitley, public affairs officer for the U.S. Attorney in Kansas City.

"We feel this is truth in advertising," he said. "People should be disturbed by methamphetamine."

Copies of the posters and a 15-minute educational video are being distributed to schools and businesses across the five-state region.

The commercials are just as explicit.

One shows a teen convulsing on a bathroom floor. His long-lasting high will last another 11 hours.

In another stark spot, a teen-ager asks a dealer, "What's it cost?" In the kaleidoscope of fast and frightening images, the cost becomes crystal clear -- friends, family, possessions, health and perhaps even life itself.

Unlike the Partnership Drug-Free America campaign, "Life or Meth" depends on donated air time by the media, Harrington said.

Despite that fact, the commercials have received an amazing amount of play, he said, adding, "I saw it on MTV the other day."

He feels it's time that adults quit taking a "Pollyana" approach to drugs.

"We can play nicely and keep kids using this stuff or we can get real and hopefully make a difference," said Harrington.

A group of Cape Girardeau teens said the ads should make an impact, but likely won't stop anyone from using meth.

But, unlike other ad campaigns, these probably won't make anyone snicker.

The Southeast Missourian showed four youths the ads then asked what they thought.

Of the three posters, the crawling flesh and the man tied to a chair had the biggest impacts.

"The flames one, I just don't get it," said 13-year-old Daniel Ellinghouse. "I don't think anyone will get it. It's just not clear what the message is."

The "What's it cost" television commercial, at 30 seconds, was effective, said 14-year-old Kenny Miracle. But the 60-second commercial, with all its whirling images, was just too long, he said.

The message of that commercial was clear to 13-year-old Andrew Mellies. "It doesn't cost 40 bucks. It costs you your life."

However, the youngster said a television commercial or poster alone won't be enough to stop any teenager from trying drugs.

"I think most high schoolers would just turn off when this comes on," said Jason Ellinghouse, a 17-year-old high school senior. "People do drugs to look cool. It's the look they're going for."

Yes, these students have completed drug education and know the harm drug use can do to their bodies. "But they also know what the drug can do and make them feel. They take the risk," said Jason Ellinghouse.

All four knows someone who has used an illegal drug. Three of the four know someone who has used meth.

Daniel Ellinghouse said he knows other 13-year-olds who snort an assortment of powders, like candy Pixie Stix, to try to look cool.

What keeps these particular youngsters drug free?

"It's stupid," said Mellies.

"I don't want to take a chance on something happening to me," said Miracle.

But the most important reason, they said, was the lessons their parents have taught them all their lives. "Put a child on the right path," said Jason Ellinghouse. "It's solely the parents who make a difference."