Meth Project Progress Report

We want to provide you a brief progress report on the Meth Project http://www.methproject.org.

As of September 2005, when we began, Montana was overwhelmed by methamphetamine abuse:

o Montana ranked #5 in the nation for per capita Meth abuse

o 50% of inmates were incarcerated for Meth

o 50% of foster-care admissions were Meth-related

From September 2005 through September 2007, the Meth Project sustained a large-scale, heavily researched, privately funded, statewide advertising campaign including TV, radio, billboards, newspapers, and the Internet. This paid campaign included:

o 45,000 TV ads

o 35,000 radio ads

o 10,000 print impressions

o 1,000 billboards

The Meth Project ad campaign has since received 40 advertising industry awards including:

o 2 Gold Effie Awards

o Grand Effie Award Finalist

o 7 Gold Addy Awards

o 18 Silver Addy Awards

o Cannes Lion Award

o 7 AdCritic.com “Top Ten” Awards for the best ads in the U.S.

From 2005 to 2007, the rate of teen Meth abuse across the United States remained essentially unchanged. In the same period in Montana, Meth use declined – and declined dramatically.

As of September 2007:

o Montana now ranks #39 in the nation for Meth abuse

o Adult Meth use has declined as much as 70%

o Teen Meth use has declined 45%

o Meth-related crimes have decreased by 53%

ABC News and PBS have recently produced special TV reports on the Meth Project. These reports are available to view online at:

ABC News: http://www.methproject.org/News_Events/ABC.php

PBS: http://www.methproject.org/News_Events/PBS.php

The Meth Project activities have scaled in the past year to include:

The Montana Meth Project

The Arizona Meth Project

The Idaho Meth Project

The Illinois Meth Project

We expect to be active in as many as 10 states in 2008. The initial results have been quite encouraging, and we hope to see similar results in other states in the coming years.

Thank you for your support.

The Meth Project Foundation
http://www.methproject.org

References:

Office of National Drug Control Policy. Pushing Back Against Meth: A Progress Report on the Fight Against Methamphetamine in the United States. November 2006.

Montana Department of Corrections. Montana Department of Corrections Biennial Report. 2007.

Montana Attorney General, Mike McGrath. Methamphetamine in Montana: A Preliminary Report on Trends and Impact. January 2007.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. National Survey on Drug Use and Health. September 2007.

Montana Attorney General, Mike McGrath. Methamphetamine in Montana: A Preliminary Report on Trends and Impact. January 2007.

Office of National Drug Control Policy. Pushing Back Against Meth: A Progress Report on the Fight Against Methamphetamine in the United States. November 2006.

Montana Attorney General, Mike McGrath. Methamphetamine in Montana: A Preliminary Report on Trends and Impact. January 2007.

Montana Office of Public Instruction, 2007 Montana Youth Risk Behavior Survey. September 2007.

Montana Attorney General, Mike McGrath. Methamphetamine in Montana: A Preliminary Report on Trends and Impact. January 2007.