
By using consumer marketing and advertising strategies as the basis for its outreach, the Montana Meth Project has been repeatedly cited as a powerful private sector response to a devastating social problem. It was recently recognized by the White House as one of the nation's most powerful and creative anti-drug programs.
Recent statewide survey data , including data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Montana Department of Public Instruction, as well as national survey data demonstrate attitudes and behaviors toward Meth have changed substantially since 2005, before the Meth Project initiated its prevention campaign. The Montana Attorney General has also issued data showing that Meth use and related crime has been on the decline in this same timeframe.
The Problem
As of September 2005 Montana was overwhelmed by methamphetamine abuse:
From September 2005 through September 2007, the Meth Project sustained a large-scale, statewide prevention campaign spanning TV, radio, billboards, newspapers, and the Internet. This campaign included:
Montana Market Results: 2005-2008
As of April 2008:
Results in Montana have proven the effectiveness of the Meth Project's prevention campaign. As a model prevention program for states nationwide, the Meth Project has expanded into Arizona, Idaho, Illinois and Wyoming. Additional states are expected to launch in the coming year.
For more information about the national Meth Project organization, visit www.methproject.org.
1, 4 Office of National Drug Control Policy, Pushing Back Against Meth: A Progress Report on the Fight Against Methamphetamine in the United States. November 2006.
2, 3 ,6, 7 Montana Attorney General, Mike McGrath. Methamphetamine in Montana: A Follow-up Report on Trends and Progress. April 2008.
5 Montana Office of Public Instruction, 2007 Montana Youth Risk Behavior Survey. September 2007.