In an effort to educate and engage Hispanic parents in youth drug prevention, the nation's Drug Czar, John P. Walters, First Lady Columba Bush, and Director of the Florida Office of Drug Control Policy, Jim McDonough, today unveiled a new national Spanish-language advertising campaign.
The ads are part of the Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP) National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign Hispanic outreach initiative, which includes news media outreach, community partnerships, and online and print resources aimed at parents and youth. "Marijuana use is a serious problem for all young people, but we are particularly concerned about the high usage rates among Hispanic eighth graders, who are using this harmful drug at a crucial time in their lives," said Director Walters. "We know that parents are the most important influence in preventing youth drug use.
These new ads demonstrate effective strategies for raising drug-free teens and our program gives Hispanic parents the resources they need to take an active role in drug prevention." Among eighth graders, Hispanics tend to have the highest rates of past-year drug use for most illegal drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, and heroin.
One in 10 Hispanic youth ages 12-17 reports using illicit drugs in the past month. Despite these figures, many Hispanic parents do not realize that their child may be at risk and aren't sure what they can do to make a difference.
The television, radio and print ads released today were created by Conill Advertising, an advertising unit of Saatchi & Saatchi focused on the Hispanic market, in coordination with the Partnership for a Drug- Free America. The ads, which begin airing nationwide this month, show teens asking their parents 'do you know who I am with?', 'do you know my friends?', 'do you know their parents?' The ads encourage parents to "involucrarse," or "get involved", and highlight their important role in drug prevention.