Sir, - I am writing to voice my concern regarding the new National Anti-Drugs Campaign sponsored by Crimestoppers in conjunction with the Garda, the Dublin Chamber of Commerce and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
The Campaign was recently launched by former soccer star Paul McGrath and received a high level of media attention. The Campaign uses highly emotive images to encourage a clampdown on drugs and crime. One poster depicts a young man selling a hi-fi to another young man and the slogan reads "Your hi-fi, his next high." Another shows a rough and drawn-looking young man's face and states "I'm a heroin addict, I only mug people when I'm desperate. I get desperate every 36 hours." Both posters use the slogan "a crackdown on drugs is a crackdown on crime."
As an agency that works with drug users and their families, we are extremely concerned by these types of gross generalisations as they distort the real issues and as such are an unfair presentation of what is a real social problem in Dublin . While of course there are strong links between drugs and crime, these types of depictions serve only to further stigmatise drug users and exacerbate the fear the general public feel in relation to the drugs issue. Particularly at the present time when such an effort is being made by local drugs task forces to establish much needed treatment and prevention services at a local level, this type of advertising is counterproductive and makes any response to the problem more difficult.
Perhaps if Crimestoppers really want to clamp down on drugs and drug-related crime, they might consider sponsoring a campaign that promotes a more positive image of drug users that will assist the establishment of local drugs services and encourage drug users to avail of treatment. - Yours, etc., Tony Geoghegan, Director, The Merchants's Quay Project,
Dublin 8.