STANDING UP TO METH

Montana Meth Project Educates Teens About The Evils Of Drugs

A drastic increase in methamphetamine use in the past five years has
prompted a group of Montanans to take a stand by developing the
Montana Meth Project. The Montana Meth Project is funded by the
Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation. It is based in Helena and was
founded in February of 2005. The project is directed mainly toward
young people ages 12-17 in Montana, and aims to reduce first-time
methamphetamine use, and raise awareness about the size of the
problem in Montana.

Methamphetamine, also known as "crank" or "speed" has become a big
problem in Montana in the past 15 years.

On Nov. 2, a seminar was held at Russell Elementary School for
members of the community to learn more about this growing societal
problem. The seminar featured Sgt. Scott Brodie, a narcotics officer
for the Missoula Police force, and Nick Domitrovich, a member of the
Montana Meth Project.

Brodie said, "It is the most addictive drug out there. You can be
addicted to it before you are even down off the first high."

Between 1992 and 2002 methamphetamine/amphetamine use in Montana
increased 520 percent. Currently 16 percent of teens ages 12-17 say
that they have been offered the drug in the past year, 8.3 percent of
Montana teens admit to having ever used methamphetamine compared to
7.6 percent of teenagers nationwide. This ranks Montana as the 11th
state in methamphetamine/amphetamine use per capita. In 2002 meth use
in Montana was at 230 percent of the national average.

Methamphetamine is a prevalent problem in the United States due to
the ease of producing it.

"The thing that makes methamphetamine so easy to get is how easy it
is to make; you can find the recipe on the Internet and the
ingredients at Wal-Mart," Brodie said.

A few of the ingredients include red phosphorus, such as from ground
up matches; sulfuric acid (drain cleaner); toluene (brake cleaner);
and other components.

In 2002, 122 methamphetamine labs were seized in Montana, each
costing roughly $8,500 to decontaminate. That's more than one million
taxpayer dollars that were spent on cleaning up illegal
methamphetamine labs, officials said.

In response to these troubling statistics, Montana Meth Project
created television commercials, billboard ads, and radio spots aimed
at preventing teenagers from even trying the drug once. The message
in each advertisement is clear and distressing.

Four of the television spots received national attention from
Advertising Age, which is recognized as the most authoritative source
of information for advertising, marketing and media professionals.

All of the commercials and advertisements are aimed at the
12-17-year-old demographic. The goal of the project is to "un-sell a product."

"This campaign is being treated like a sales campaign, except we are
trying to unsell this terrible drug," Domitrovich said.

If you have a problem with methamphetamine or know someone who needs
help, please visit the Montana Meth Project Web site at www.notevenonce.com.