Facial sores and bloodshot eyes - TV spots depicting the physical deterioration of meth users soon will air during programs watched by teens.
A jail cell, a dirty bathroom, an emergency room gurney and a blood-stained sink - images of the grim reality of meth addiction will appear in newspapers and on billboards across the state.
Arizona is launching a public service campaign this month that graphically depicts the horrors of methamphetamine use.
Our state is one of the first to replicate the nationally recognized Montana Meth Project.
Two years ago in Montana, these ads made their debut on television, radio, the Internet and in print.
In Montana, these ads kicked off thousands of discussions between parents and their teens about this destructive drug.
Teens previewing the ads at the Graham-Greenlee Meth Conference in Thatcher agreed their peers would pay attention.
The ads are effective because they use teens to warn about meth, and they show its severe physical effects and devastating impact on families and friends.
In Arizona, 4.3 percent of those aged 13 to 17 have tried meth - twice the national average, the 2006 Arizona Youth Survey shows.
Meth is the No. 1 crime problem in Arizona and across the country, linked directly to about 75 percent of property and violent crimes.
Meth is the only illegal drug that can be manufactured from ingredients bought legally in supermarkets and drugstores.
Although meth labs have been reduced since Arizona and other Western states restricted pseudoephedrine purchases, meth continues to be readily available and smuggled in from superlabs in Mexico.
The drop in meth use and related crime in Montana make it clear the Meth Project is working.
Montana Attorney General Mike McGrath credited the Meth Project with helping change attitudes about the drug.
A survey released in January shows 93 percent of students there consider meth a great risk. Meth-related crime in Montana fell 53 percent in 2006 compared with the previous year.
The rate of employees in Montana who tested positive for meth fell more than 70 percent from 2005 to 2006.
The Montana Meth Project was founded by Thomas Siebel, who donated $5.6 million to start the program. Montana is now taking steps to support future phases of the program through a public-private partnership.
Unlike other anti-drug programs, the Arizona Meth Project focuses solely on the anti-meth message. No politicians will be featured in any of these ads.
Solving Arizona's meth problem requires a commitment to a comprehensive approach that includes enforcement, prevention, education and treatment.
A portion of the $8 million legislative appropriation for meth interdiction, treatment and prevention also supports this project. Participating counties are Pinal, Yuma, Cochise, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave and Navajo.
The Arizona Meth Project thanks the Legislature for responding to this crisis in such a significant way and the many individuals and groups across Arizona for their commitment to reducing meth use.
For more information, call toll-free 1-866-773-8999.
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