Propaganda and Pork at the ONDCP

Jacob Sullum | May 16, 2005

In a report issued last week, Citizens Against Government Waste blasts the Office of National Drug Control Policy for wasting taxpayers' money on ineffective and illegal propaganda. The report concludes that the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign "violated federal propaganda laws, did not reduce drug use amongst America's youth, and has produced no significant results." It also criticizes the so-called High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program as a pork-filled boondoggle and faults the ONDCP for trying to interfere with state policies regarding the medicinal use of marijuana. "After 17 years of operation and funding," says CAGW, "ONDCP has not achieved its objectives of reducing 'illicit drug use, manufacturing, and trafficking, drug-related crime and violence, and drug-related health consequences.'"

[Thanks to Dan Forbes for the link.]

Comments

|5.16.05 @ 11:52AM|#

Let me just say this:

I'm shocked. SHOCKED I tell you.

|5.16.05 @ 12:03PM|#

I know how to make the ONDCP better - throw more money at it!

Right?

|5.16.05 @ 12:08PM|#

Let me repeat myself here. Sucess depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Those who say these ads were a failure do so because they think the purpose was to decraes drug use by kids or to instill anti-drug attutudes in kids. By that standard, they were undiluted failures.

On the other hand, if the goal was to increase drug paranoia amongst parents and to shore up support for anti-drugs efforts in adults who should know better then the ads may have worked like a charm. We can't really tell since, as far as I know, that research hasn't been or at least not published. However, we should consider ulterior motives.

Anytime you wonder why a failure is sustained indefinately it is important to ask if the failure is actually a great sucess toward another goal.

|5.16.05 @ 12:32PM|#

Wonderful post Eryk!

|5.16.05 @ 12:42PM|#

"After 17 years of operation and funding," says CAGW, "ONDCP has not achieved its objectives

Yeah, but this is a government agency that we're talking about. Since when is failure a big deal?

|5.16.05 @ 12:45PM|#

Sucess depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

Indeed it does. In addition, I would suggest an even simpler goal: to keep bureaucrats in their jobs.

|5.16.05 @ 12:52PM|#

Sucess depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

Such as eradication of all credibility in the US government? If thats the case, the ONDCP can pat themselves on the back and say, "Mission Accomplished!"

|5.16.05 @ 3:00PM|#

the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign "violated federal propaganda laws, did not reduce drug use amongst America's youth, and has produced no significant results."

but they did produce some hilarious shit.

CodeMonkeySteve|5.16.05 @ 3:42PM|#

"The project was initially created 'to educate and enable youth to reject illegal drugs, especially marijuana and inhalants,' but has been unsuccessful in reducing drug use amongst America's youth.



In addition to its chronic failure,


No pun intended ...

|5.16.05 @ 7:27PM|#

Citizens Against Government Waste
That must be one busy ass group.

|5.16.05 @ 7:27PM|#

Oh, my. Failure from a government program? What's next... we'll find out they've been LYING to us? Say it ain't so!

If Goebbels were alive today, he'd be admiring the work of both the ONDCP and Michael Moore.