http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0417azmeth0417.html

State seeks anti-meth ads, eyes Montana's tough campaign Montana campaign could be foundation for Arizona fight against the deadly drug

Chip Scutari The Arizona Republic Apr. 17, 2006 12:00 AM

The gritty, in-your-face ads on television, radio, billboards and newspapers have exposed Montana teenagers to the ugly truth about the evil grip of meth addiction.

They're as subtle as a sledgehammer.

A billboard shows a grungy, dirty toilet with the words, "No one thinks they'll lose their virginity here. Meth will change that."

One TV spot shows a young man covered with scabs harassing people in a coin laundry and beating them up for loose change. At the end of the ad, the teen runs up to his pre-meth self and screams, "This wasn't supposed to be your life!"

Fueled by the deep pockets of software billionaire Thomas Siebel, the Montana Meth Project has become a national success story with its often-shocking content. Now, Arizona officials are close to bringing the provocative ad campaign to the state, where meth has taken hold in cities and suburbs, rural areas, affluent houses and lower-income neighborhoods.

On Tuesday, county and state officials, including staff members from the Governor's Office and the Attorney General's Office, will fly to Helena, Mont., to watch the latest round of TV spots and meet with Siebel. The multimillion-dollar ad campaign, "Not Even Once," has saturated the airwaves in Montana, helping reduce meth use among teens by as much as 30 percent.

"I just don't think we have time to waste," Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said. "I don't think there is hardly a family in Arizona that doesn't have some tragedy associated with meth. It's scary that kids think this is a drug you can experiment with at parties and it won't hurt you.

"We need teenagers talking to teenagers."

The goal is to have an Arizona Meth Project up and running by August, Goddard said. A non-profit organization in Arizona would run the project and continually raise funds. An advisory group, comprised of elected officials, doctors, business owners, educators and tribal officials, would be set up.

Dr. Marc Matthews, director of the trauma unit at Maricopa Medical Center, has seen the physical, emotional and psychological devastation of meth addiction firsthand.

"It's absolutely brutal," Matthews said. "The American people are unwilling to recognize the horror that is happening every day here in Arizona and across the country. The drug is almost maniacal. Once it gets hold of you, that's it.

"The truth is if the American people knew what was going on they wouldn't stand for this one bit."

The project's origins

Siebel, who founded Siebel Systems Inc. before selling it to Oracle Corp., learned about problems related to meth from Montana Attorney General Mike McGrath.

Siebel donated more than $6 million in August to launch the program. He has not taken government money and does not want any politicians' names or faces on the ads. The Montana Meth Project received a dollar-for-dollar match from television and radio station advertising to stretch the campaign. Arizona leaders want to have the same deal with local media outlets.

Goddard estimates that it will take about $5.7 million to cover about 70 percent of the Arizona market for one year. Siebel would let Arizona use the ads from his Montana campaign, but he does not want the content changed or tweaked in any way. In a letter to Siebel, Goddard told the software billionaire that it would be helpful to have some ads tailored to Arizona's Indian tribes and Spanish-language radio.

The biggest obstacle is raising enough private and public money to keep the ad campaign going after its initial run of ads. Dennis Burke, Gov. Janet Napolitano's chief of staff, said an effective ad campaign must be bolstered by law enforcement.

"The governor believes the success of the project can be replicated as long as it is incorporated into the multiprong approach already initiated to combat the meth in Arizona," Burke said.

He added that Arizona must have seamless coordination between county, state, local governments; non-profit groups; and the private sector to make sure the Arizona Meth Project is a success.

Extent of the problem

The statistics are alarming:

In Arizona, 52,000 people used meth last year. Nearly one in five children age 12 to 17 have been offered meth.

In 2003, 42 percent of females booked into Maricopa County jail tested positive for meth.

Surveys show that 65 percent of child-abuse and neglect cases in the state involve meth.

Meth hospital admissions surged 229 percentduring 2000 to 2004, according to a 2005 study by the University of Arizona.

Nationally, more than 12.3 million Americans have tried meth and an estimated 1.5 millionare considered regular users

Authorities believe a lion's share of the meth used in Arizona is produced in labs in Mexico and Southern California and run by organized crime and street gangs. The remaining supply comes from makeshift meth labs in Arizona. Meth figures into a huge number of crimes, leaves labs that are hazardous-waste sites, and endangers children. Its grip is especially harsh in rural areas, said Cindy Furrh, founder and director of the Old Concho Community Assistance Center in Apache County.

"It's devastated the family unit up here," said Furrh, a drug and alcohol counselor since 1980. "The juvenile justice system is overwhelmed. This drug is cheap and easily accessible."

Furrh said the ad campaign would have to be changed a bit for kids in rural areas because there is limited access to mainstream news.

"A lot of this we would have to go right into the schools, churches and local community events," Furrh said. "I believe the Montana Meth Project can help a lot."

Legislation stalled

At the Capitol, state policymakers are trying to pass legislation that would strengthen law enforcement. But those efforts have been bottled up because of other issues, such as a raft of illegal-immigration bills.

Napolitano unveiled a plan in February to disrupt the flow of the drug from Mexico and vowed to work with lawmakers on a bill that beefs up law enforcement and prevention programs. Republican lawmakers have a $15 million proposal that includes more money for police, prevention, education and advertising.

But that legislation, House Bill 2554, has been stalled because of the annual budget battle, where "money bills" are usually held up until the end of the legislative session.

The governor used Arizona's first conference on meth to announce a $5 million plan that includes three teams to target meth produced in Mexico and brought into Arizona.

The 11-person teams, which would work in the Yuma, Tucson and Phoenix areas, would be hired by the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

Napolitano said these new officers could also play a role in tackling problems associated with Arizona's illegal immigration.

Matthews said Arizonan communities cannot live in denial about the effects of meth.

"This is terrorism being imported across the border."