Montana Meth Project
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The Montana Meth Project is a Montana-based anti-drug organization founded by billionaire Thomas Siebel. The main focus of the project is an advertising campaign, based on ads that are intended to horrify viewers concerning the possible dangers of methamphetamines. The advertisements are based on a theme of regret, occasionally with pre-addicted teens viewing their future selves warning them about the consequences of what they are pondering. Common elements are amphetamine psychosis and the decline of one's health and living conditions.
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[edit] Television Spots
- Jumped - A teen boy wishes he had been assaulted and brutally beaten on the way to a party at which he first tried meth, stating that "now all I do is meth." There is speculation as to whether the assault depicted is a gay bashing, due to the popularity of meth among gay males
- Crash - A teen girl wishes that she had crashed on her way to a party at which she tried meth, even if she had been seriously injured or permanently paralyzed, because that would have prevented her trying meth and becoming addicted. At the end a dirty run-down apartment is shown at which she says "now this is my life."
- Junkie Den - A young boy tries meth for the first time and is congratulated by homeless drug addicts describing his future life as "one of us," with some suggestion of homosexual encounters. His statement that he is only trying meth once is laughed at.
- Just Once - A teen girl declares that she is only trying meth once, leading to a sequence of further compromises to support her addiction, each of which she promises will be "just once." The ad ends with her pre-teen sister stealing her drugs and declaring "I'm going to try meth, just once."
- That Guy - A teen boy states "I'm going to try meth just once, I'm not gonna be like that guy." In the end he is homeless and strung out babbling incoherently to himself. A teen girl is then shown saying "I'm gonna try meth just once, I'm not gonna be like that guy," indicating him.
- Bathtub - A teen girl takes a shower while waiting for her friend to come over, presumably so they can try meth for the first time. She is terrified to see a pockmarked and distraught version of herself shivering at the bottom of the shower telling her "don't do it."
- Laundry Mat - A deranged meth addict runs into a laundromat and demands the money of everyone inside, going so far as to hold a knife to a baby. He then runs to his pre-addicted self and shouts "this wasn't supposed to be your life!"
- Everything Else - A girl approaches a group of people who are doing meth and requests some for herself. The dealer gives her the meth as well as "everything else" that comes with it. Items listed are her intimidating drug dealer, a "meth boyfriend" to whom she presumably sells her sexual services for meth, an addicted baby, and her "meth face."
[edit] Controversy
The ads have been the subject of controversy due to the ethical implications of exaggerating the dangers of drugs through shock horror, and they have even been compared to the 1930s film Reefer Madness. Their slogan of "not even once" has been compared to the anti-drug slogan of the 1980s "Just Say No". It has also been suggested that these ads may even increase the likelihood of methamphetamine abuse, however such claims are purely speculative.
[edit] See also
- Meth song
- Faces of Meth
- War on Drugs
- moral panic