Addressing Drug Use Among Hispanic Youth.

A public-private partnership to address marijuana and other drug use among Hispanic youth in the United States was announced today. The nation’s Drug Czar, John P. Walters, and U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S., joined representatives of leading Hispanic organizations to announce a special outreach effort to help Hispanic parents raise drug-free teens. The initiative, part of the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s (ONDCP) National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, includes new advertising, community and media outreach, and online and print bilingual resources.

The new effort includes an “Open Letter to Parents,” signed by 11 of the nation’s leading health, education, and advocacy organizations, that will be published this week in 84 newspapers in the 43 metropolitan areas around the country. The letter urges Hispanic parents to learn more about marijuana and the host of significant health, social, learning, and behavioral problems it can pose for teens, and encourages parents to monitor their teens’ behavior to prevent drug use. The initiative also includes outreach to Hispanic community organizations and news media, new bilingual print and online
materials, and broadcast advertising designed to educate parents about what they can do and say to keep their children drug-free.

“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. “Together with our partners, we are reaching out to the Hispanic community and providing bilingual resources designed to reverse these trends.”

Research shows that 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. Because Hispanics represent the largest, fastest-growing, and youngest ethnic group in the United States – one in three Hispanics is under age 18 – the need for tailored youth drug prevention efforts is critical.

“Young marijuana users take on serious mental and physical risks, including potential brain and lung damage,” said Surgeon General Carmona. “Familia is a strong force in protecting our children from marijuana use and other risky behavior that can put their futures in jeopardy. As parents, we are the experts in our children’s lives. We can keep their kids drug-free by talking to them about the dangers of drugs, and staying involved in their lives.”

A bilingual booklet, Proteja a sus hijos de las drogas: Una guía para los padres/Keeping Your Kids Drug-Free: A How-To Guide for Parents and Caregivers, was developed with the nation’s most trusted healthcare, business, education, labor, and healthcare organizations serving the Hispanic community. The booklet, which incorporates culturally-appropriate information and resources, includes facts about marijuana and other illicit drugs and specific ideas, communication tips, conversation starters, and examples of the skills busy parents can use to prevent teen drug use. The booklet includes an introduction
by the U.S. Surgeon General, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National PTA.

New television and radio ads began airing nationwide this month, and magazine ads will launch in November. The ads were created by Hispanic-owned advertising firm Publicis Sanchez & Levitan in Dallas, Texas, in coordination with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. The ads can be viewed at MediaCampaign.org or LaAntiDroga.com.

The initiative will also get valuable support from several corporate partners. Goya Foods, the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the United States, is promoting and distributing Media Campaign parenting materials in English and Spanish through its work with Hispanic organizations across the country, developing and distributing bilingual anti-drug posters to its retail partners, and featuring Media Campaign resources on its Web site.

In addition, Cox Communications, the fourth largest cable provider in the nation, today announced a new $5 million donation of television advertising space to the Campaign that will include a specific focus on Hispanic audiences through Spanish-language public service ads. The donation will extend the company’s ongoing partnership with the Campaign that has included community events, anti-drug programming and special communications in its 23 markets reaching 6 million customers nationwide.

To reach a growing online Hispanic population, the Media Campaign also has an in-language Web site, LaAntiDroga.com, for Hispanic parents and adult caregivers. LaAntiDroga.com provides drug information, prevention strategies, and tips on raising healthy, drug-free children, along with advice from parenting and substance abuse prevention experts, and other parents. The site also offers suggestions on how to address sensitive subjects such as a parent’s personal history with drug use and how to help kids with peer pressure. Visitors to LaAntiDroga.com can sign up for a regular Spanish-language parenting tips e-mail.

In 1998, with bipartisan support, Congress created the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign with the goal of educating and enabling young people to reject illicit drugs. Unprecedented in size and scope, the Campaign is a strategically integrated communications effort that combines advertising with public communications outreach to deliver anti-drug messages and skills to America’s youth, their parents, and other influential adults.

For more information at http://www.mediacampaign.org