Released on: July 7, 2008, 12:46 pm

Press Release Author: Narconon Arrowhead

Industry: Healthcare

Press Release Summary: After the research group Westat determined that the National
Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign failed to produce a positive result, millions more
were still allocated to continue it.

Press Release Body: A study by the Rockville, Maryland research group Westat,
validated by the General Accounting Office, showed that $1.2 billion of taxpayer
money was pumped into a youth anti-drug campaign that failed to show a positive
result. The campaign was the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign that ran
between 1998 and 2004, created and run by the Office of National Drug Control Policy
(ONDCP), a branch of the White House.

The Westat group measured improvements in drug use or opinions of drug use by
students and found that the campaign, rather than lessening drug use, “may have
promoted perceptions among exposed youth that others’ drug use was normal.”

Even parents receiving these drug messages were not impressed. The Westat review
showed that more parents talked to their kids about drugs subsequent to being
exposed to the campaign but did not monitor their children’s drug use any more
vigilantly.

Still, the ONDCP was bold enough to recently ask Congress for another $130 million
to continue the campaign. On their website they complain of a lack of support when
the response was just $60 million for this failed campaign.

“Drug use and addiction are still growing in this country,” stated Gary Smith,
Executive Director of Narconon Arrowhead, one of the country’s leading drug and
alcohol rehab centers, located in Canadian, Oklahoma. “The Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration calculates that 20.4 million Americans are
current drug users. That number has been climbing since 1996. The current education
and rehabilitation methods cannot, therefore, be effective.

“Investments in drug education must be channeled to programs proven to result in
lower drug and alcohol use,” Mr. Smith added. “But when a person of any age can’t
decide to quit because he is addicted, it’s a different matter.” Mr. Smith explained
that recovery from addiction requires a thorough detoxification step that helps
relieve cravings, counseling that assists the addict to recover from the ravages of
drug use, and life skills training so the person has the skills to stay drug-free
after recovery. The Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation program results in a
70% success rate for those who graduate from the program.

For more information on the rehabilitation and educational services of Narconon
Arrowhead, call 1-800-468-6933 today or visit the website www.stopaddiction.com. The
Narconon program was founded in 1966 by William Benitez in Arizona State Prison, and
is based on the humanitarian works of L. Ron Hubbard. In more than 120 centers
around the world, Narconon programs restore drug and alcohol abusers and addicts to
a clean and sober lifestyle.



Web Site: http://www.stopaddiction.com

Contact Details: Megan Bedford
Narconon Arrowhead
HC 67 Box 5, Canadian OK 74425
1-918-339-5800, fax 1-918-339-5801
Email info@stopaddiction.com