Press Release - Los Angeles, The Foundation for a Drug-Free World has released a new series of 16 public service ads that strike at the heart of what misleads youth into drug abuse – lies.    Hundreds of drug-prevention specialists, community leaders, educators and teens turned out for a big screen premiere of the series at the Helen Bernstein High school in Hollywood last week.

 

The films feature 14 lead teen actors and actresses showing the impact of drug abuse on youth of varying ethnicities, their families and friends.  At the premiere, All 14 actors were officially commended by the City of Los Angeles, while Director Gary Ravenscroft, a main speaker at the event, was honored by the State of California Legislature Assembly.

 

Other speakers included Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Chief Cecil Rhambo over Field Operations Region II, who said no one is exempt from the trap of drug abuse.  Telling people to join the Foundation’s wide-scale drug education campaign he said that “parents don’t know how to talk to their kids about drugs and these materials break the ice for them.”

 

Gang Specialist Lt. Gary Nanson, a 34-year veteran of the LAPD said that during his years as an undercover narcotics detective he had heard “every lie in the book.”  He said drug education is vital and that most of it is not coming from parents and teachers but from drug dealers working to sell more drugs.  “We can’t stop drug use by arresting people,” said Lt. Nanson.  “Our greatest weapon is drug education.”

 

Produced in docudrama-style, the series addresses commonly-held misconceptions about drugs and directs youth to get the truth from the Foundation’s website. The first four of the Foundation’s 16-part video series were released in the fall of 2007 and have already won Addy and Telly Awards for excellence in creativity and execution, as well as Best Public Service Campaign.

 

“These PSAs achieve a physical and emotional connection with teens.  They are one of the most effective educational deterrents on drug experimentation I have seen in my 35 years of working with youth” - Educator R.A