Part 1: Media Portrayal of Drugs

Feb 25 -- Speeding breathlessly down a mountain slope, world-renowned skier Chad Fleischer tells the camera, "I haven't had a vacation, potato chip, or fast food in 2 ½ years. Do you think I'd ever mess with drugs?" He then proclaims, "Skiing is my anti-drug."

The commercial is just one of several anti-drug ads featuring popular Olympians, the latest in a line of campaigns designed to convey the message that "drugs are not cool."

These kinds of ad campaigns appear to be helping to keep kids off drugs, advocates say.

A recent survey conducted by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, for instance, shows that a shrinking number of teens say rap or rock music makes drugs seem OK, just 42 percent in 2000, down from 51 percent in 1997.

As for television, 40 percent of teens in 2000 said programs make drugs seem OK, down from 44 percent in 1997.

But anti-drug advocates say America's youth is still getting mixed messages about illegal substances from the media as a whole.

One example is a recent popular song about marijuana, "Because I Got High," in which the singer mentions his many good intentions before deciding to get high instead.

These, and numerous other examples have parents and anti-drug advocates worried over the array of mixed messages the media are sending.

"Research we have done shows that television and music, and movies in particular, really normalize certain kinds of unhealthy behavior," says Alan Levitt, director of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign in New York. "In the case of music, you're listening to it over and over again."

Movies, Television, and More

But the blame cannot be placed on one medium alone, advocates acknowledge.

"It's pop culture, it's the talk-show hosts that make light of drugs," Levitt explains. "It's also the mixed messages you get from movie stars and sports celebrities who beat somebody up or crash their car because they were under the influence or used drugs, and still make $20 million a year. If you go to some stores, you see marijuana T-shirts and jewelry."