Marijuana Policy Project

Federal investigators have some advice for U.S. lawmakers wondering whether to spend millions of dollars on anti-drug advertisements next year: Just say no.

Congress should limit funding for the Office of National Drug Control Policy's TV, radio and print spots, which have cost more than $1 billion since 1998, because there is no proof they work, the Government Accountability Office said Friday in a report.

"Exposure to the advertisements generally did not lead youth to disapprove of using drugs and may have promoted perceptions among exposed youth that others' drug use was normal," the GAO concluded after reviewing a 2005 study on the advertising campaign.

The anti-drug office should give Congress "credible evidence of a media campaign that effectively prevents and curtails youth drug use," the GAO said.

President Bush has sought $120 million for National Drug Control Policy media spots in his fiscal year 2007 budget, about 20 percent more than in this year's funding.

The anti-drug office challenges the GAO's conclusion, noting drug use among 13- to 17-year-olds fell by almost a fifth between 2001 and 2005.

"While there are a lot programs in federal government that don't always work, this not only works, it works very well," said Tom Riley, a spokesman for the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

A government-funded study in 2005 by Rockville, Maryland-based contractor Westat Inc. found no tie between the ads and reduced drug use among teens, and a GAO review found no fault with the study. "We believe the Westat study is sound," the GAO said.