‘Meth. We’re on it’: Twitter users in hysterics over South Dakota’s edgy anti-drugs campaign
- Many on social media joked about the images making it appear the people in the photos are on methamphetamine
- But governor said the backlash proves the effort to raise awareness is working
South Dakota is on meth – at least, that’s the message behind a new anti-drug ad campaign so widely mocked that one marketing expert could only laugh before calling it “a colossal blunder.”
The “Meth. We’re On it.” awareness initiative was introduced Monday by South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, a Republican, to address the state’s methamphetamine crisis.
In a news release, officials underscored the importance of combating drug use in a state where twice as many 12- to 17-year-olds reported using meth compared with the national average.
“South Dakota’s meth crisis is growing at an alarming rate. It impacts every community in our state, and it threatens the success of the next generation,” Noem said in a public service announcement. “This is our problem, and together, we need to get on it.”
“Let’s get meth out of South Dakota,” she added.
The state’s Department of Social Services paid a Minneapolis ad agency nearly US$449,000 this fall for the effort, the Argus Leader reported, citing the state’s finances website.
