Kid Bothered By New Anti-Drug Ads

Sept. 16 -- A new round of anti-drug ads that start running on TV today pack a tough message about the "terrible things" — from street violence to drug cartels — that drug users unwittingly support.

But the question that has haunted past anti-drug ad campaigns are expected to resurface with this batch. Will the ads actually work?

Going For Guilt

One of the ads introduces marijuana user "Stacey," hanging out with two friends. It then shows an image of her marijuana dealer, before moving up the drug chain to the person who supplies Stacey's dealer with pot. The next image is the kicker.

"This is Carla, who was hit by a stray bullet from Stacey's supplier and paralyzed for life," the voice in the ad says. The ad closes with "Drug money supports terrible things. If you buy drugs, you might, too."

John Walters, the new drug czar appointed earlier this year by President Bush, said his predecessor's expensive ad campaigns, featuring music stars like the Dixie Chicks, "flopped," and that there was no significant decline in marijuana use during their run. Walter's office now has a $1 billion ad budget for the next five years.

"These ads are different," Walters told Good Morning America. "We toughened up the behavior not only to look at the harm drugs do to young people but using their idealism, their drug buying to things they care about," he said.

Dan’s Joint

In a similar ad, the focus is on the drug cartels: "This is Dan. This is the joint that Dan bought. This is the dealer who sold the joint that Dan bought. This is the smuggler that smuggled the pot to the dealer who sold the joint that Dan bought. This is the cartel that uses the smuggler that smuggled the pot to the dealer who sold the joint that Dan bought. And this is the family that was lined up by Dan's cartel and shot for getting in the way."

Some young adults say they find the ads offensive. Elisa Roupenian, a college sophomore, told Good Morning America that her peers objected to linking the violence of the drug trade in other countries to drug use here.