PRESS RELEASE 02/22/08 TAKING AIM AT METH IN ALABAMA
Governor Bob Riley, Senator Richard Shelby, the Alabama Congressional Delegation and Alabama's District Attorney's announce the implementation of a new statewide meth awareness campaign, ZEROMETH. Targeting teens and young adults with a hard-hitting reality based message, the multi-media campaign presents a very impressionable and defining image of meth use - the effects, the addiction and the lifestyle.
Created on a limited budget, the TV, print, outdoor and website (www.zerometh.com) waste no time in attacking the problem and talking straight to Alabama teens. Ken Davis, President of the Alabama District Attorneys Association said, "Having limited resources made us focus our efforts. We are building an anti-brand with ZEROMETH that speaks directly to our audience giving them defining and life-lasting impressions of the dangers of this horrible drug "
Blount County District Attorney, Tommy Rountree, was instrumental in the creation of the Zerometh Campaign. Drawn from real life experiences with the effects of methamphetamine parents of a recently charged teenager brought a frontline prosecutor's viewpoint to this critical initiative. These grief stricken parents stated, "This campaign was born out of the stark realization of what meth abuse and addiction is doing to our county. We realize that the best way to cure the addiction was to prevent it from ever taking place to begin with. It didn't take long for us to realize that other District Attorney's were having the same problems. Alabama's 42 District Attorneys really jumped on board quickly and our concept was born. The creation of the Zerometh campaign is something all Alabamians can participate in and be proud of."
The driving creative force behind the campaign are three TV spots portraying the haunting effects of methamphetamine addiction. The commercials are disturbing portraits of methamphetamine addiction. They focus on the raw and gritty world of the physical and emotional destruction experienced in a meth addict's inevitable decline. Each spot observes average teens succumbing to the effects of the drug in a frightening progression.
The ZEROMETH campaign hits close to home with Law Enforcement across the state. Approximately 80% of District Attorney's caseloads are meth and drug related. The Zerometh campaign will be the first step in creating an open statewide dialog about the dangers of meth use. "We hope to generate a general understanding and wide spread awareness of meth," states Davis. " The goal is to arm our children with explicit, first hand knowledge of meth use - without ever having to come near the drug."
In addition to the statewide program the Blount County DA's Office has been promoting a methamphetamine awareness program in our schools, churches and civic organizations. "We have produced our own DVD program entitled "Crystal Death " and copies are free of charge to anyone wishing a copy. For more information you may log onto our website

www.blountda.com. Our goal in Blount County, and across Alabama, is to end this epidemic. This has become a top priority for my office and local law enforcement. We are proud to be able to create such an important impression for our children and save lives."
Please contact ZEROMETH.com to view the campaign and get more information.