Teen Drug Use and Terror Linked In Television Spots

By Darcia Harris Bowman

The cherubic face of a teenage boy appears on the television screen, framed against a black backdrop. "I kill families in Colombia," he says matter-of- factly. The startling confession is quickly followed by another teenager's disclaimer: "It's just innocent fun."

Such was the beginning of the Bush administration's $10 million multimedia campaign against illegal-drug use. The advertising spot was strategically aired on Feb. 4, while millions of Americans were tuned in to watch the Super Bowl.

Targeted at teenagers and their parents, it featured a succession of young actors portraying drug users, their faces half-hidden in shadow, telling viewers with a shrug, "I helped kidnap people's dads," and "I helped kill policemen," and "I helped a bomber...