In December, Congress passed a budget bill that cuts 2008 funding for the White House's anti-drug media campaign, the program responsible for ads such as the outlandish Super Bowl PSA that called marijuana users terrorists.
 
These scare tactics do not deter young people from using drugs, and the ineffectiveness of the media campaign has been documented in evaluations commissioned by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The most recent report indicated that the campaign did not affect drug use rates, and that in fact, repeated exposure to campaign ads could lead young people to see marijuana use as more socially acceptable.
 
The Drug Policy Alliance Network (DPAN) has worked for several years to educate Members of Congress about the failure of these ads, and drug policy reformers have sent thousands of letters to their legislators over the last year demanding that their tax dollars be put to better use.
 
The resulting funding cut for this year, from $100 million to $60 million, is the biggest one-year cut ever. DPAN applauds the cut, but advocates for complete dismantling of the media campaign.
 
"You'd think that with less funding they'd use the money more wisely, but ONDCP persists in its failed strategy," said Bill Piper, DPA's director of national affairs. "Even with this year's cut, rumor has it that there's still going to be an ONDCP ad in this year's Super Bowl."