UKCIA likes to keep an eye on the government’s anti drug advertising campaign “Talk to Frank” so it was with some interest we heard there was a new anti-cannabis campaign running.
The latest campaign has been designed to highlight the move back to class B and supports a TV advert with an interactive website campaign – the whole lot costing around £2m apparently.
So it was I logged on to Talk to Frank from my office machine at work last week, only to be greeted with a totally blank screen, no error message, no option to go on, nothing. The reason for this I suppose is the front page of Frank now contains a flash animation (flash as in the software, not the content) and my machine at work doesn’t have the latest flash software thanks to our IT department not thinking this sort of thing is important? Any other suggestion?
This is an unbelievable situation because one of the first and most important design features of any website should be to ensure that everyone can see it; you want to get your message out there after all so any site worth its salt should always work to some extent and allow people to access the information somehow, even if you’re using an old machine connected to the interweb with a bit of wet string to use a technical term. If you do manage to get the page to load, there is an “accessibility” link you can click which informs you that
In the event that you are unable to read any of the pages or documents on this website, please contact us and we will arrange to get an accessible version to you.
Hands up everyone who’s not here.
It’s worth pointing out that the machine which was unable to view the Frank website is in a college full of people who are the target age the Frank website is trying to reach.
So I tried again at home and it sort of works here. Well, it works fine on my main machine but this older one struggles, the animation is jerky and it ties the machine up for some time while it sorts itself out. Really in order to see this Frank campaign, you need a new fast computer with loads of RAM and the latest version of Flash.
The new Frank Cannabis campaign is called “Cannabis: Mess with your mind” and is a campaign firmly rooted in the “Reefer madness” approach of shock tactics to drugs education, just the sort of thing we were promised Talk to Frank wasn’t going to be when it launched.
Now, it’s important to state that UKCIA takes the issue of cannabis and mental health very seriously, there is an important message to get across: Children under 15 or so should not be getting stoned very often if at all and, as with alcohol, UKCIA would like to see an age limit for purchase of around 18. Young brains are still developing and there’s ample proof that drug use – including cannabis – can impact this development.
So any campaign which puts that message across clearly is to be supported. This one, sadly does not.
Launching the site whilst playing music (Radio Caroline actually) caused the machine to crash and I had to reboot and try again. This may be an old machine, but it’s usually pretty stable and almost never crashes normally.
Everyone arriving at Talk to Frank is greeted (providing they’re computer is good enough) by “Cannabis: Mess with your mind”. Actually it’s a picture of a door with a note on it saying “See how cannabis can mess with your mind” and some almost unreadable text which says “Enter this room at your own risk”. Anyone who wants to find out about cocaine or acid or any of the other drug info on the site has to know they must click a small link at the top of the frame called “The A-Z of drugs”, or click the lower part of the frame which takes you to the same A-Z listing. Clearly Frank wants you to see the cannabis thing though, so into the room we go by clicking on the door. Except we don’t.
It loads the A-Z of drugs, changes it’s mind and briefly displays a page of cannabis information before making you watch a “page loading” bar of something that’s presumably supposed to be ash which slowly loads the Flash animation. When it’s finished (a good 30 seconds on my 5M broadband connection – it must be unusable on a dial up) we’re back outside the door again. Clicking it once more opens the door and you hear a short music loop and someone offering you a go on a joint – unlike real life you don’t have to ask. The spliff is held in front of you and a sign pops up saying “have a drag on this spliff”, a tempting message also included in the soundtrack and nothing happens until you do, this is what is meant by “interactive”.
So you have a drag on the virtual spliff and the animated world shatters. You are told you will “see how cannabis messes with your mind”. According to Frank, one drag on a spliff induces Paranoia, followed by panic attacks, puking, uncontrollable “giggles” (with a soundtrack of truly manic laughter) and then hunger “munchies”. Needless to say that for the vast majority of people, this will be nothing like their experience of cannabis, if it was no-one would ever touch the stuff. Whilst it’s true these aspects may happen to some extent when you get stoned the experience is very different to what this suggests.
Then you’re back to the room where you’re invited to click on five areas which give you information about cannabis:
Too much?
Cannabis can end up costing loads of money with nothing to show for it – even if you’re not hooked
Ouch! Translation: Cannabis isn’t addictive like tobacco or heroin so you won’t get physically addicted, but it can end up costing a lot of money like any drug use can. The wording here implies you are likely to “get hooked”, the word “hooked” of course, coming straight out of Reefer Madness.
What is this?
Cannabis is usually rolled and smoked with tobacco in a spliff or joint like cigarettes. Strong cannabis like skunk is common in the uk and is even stronger than it used to be. If you use it you just don’t know how it could affect your mental health in the future
Good advice here would be not to smoke cannabis mixed with tobacco – a point UKCIA has been making for some time now, but Frank prefers to maintain the tobacco link. Is “skunk” even stronger than it used to be? The risk to mental health is clearly being used as a scare tactic here.
Where are they?
Cannabis can affect your short term memory, As well as forgetting stuff you might also find it difficult to concentrate or keep track of time.
Well, yes, getting stoned is a bit like that, it’s the attraction in fact.
Watch the TV ad
Accidentally clicking this with the right mouse button made my machine lock up. It’s a chance to watch the TV ad which contains the same “information” as the flash animation.
Class B – the law has changed. Cannabis has been reclassified up from class C to class B meaning harsher penalties if you’re caught in possession of cannabis – find out more at talk to frank.com
Ah yes, the threat of the law. In truth it’s what this is all about.
Another link lists “all the effects” of cannabis, which according to Frank are:
Paranoia:
cannabis can make you paranoid. Its easy to imagine there’s a kind of bad atmosphere in the room or think people hate you or want to harm you. You might even see or hear things that aren’t there
It can happen and is sometimes the reason people decide cannabis isn’t for them. However, claiming it causes hallucinations ( see or hear things that aren’t there) is pushing it a bit, rather too much actually. Other than perhaps at very, very high doses cannabis cannabis does not produce hallucinations. That claim is false.
Panic Attack:
Some people get panic attacks when they use cannabis. A panic attack is a very frightening experience: Your heart beats really fast, your chest feels tight and you can’t breath normally. You feel anxious and frightened until the attack passes – if you haven’t had one before you can even think you’re dying.
Not really sure how a “panic attack” is different to a “paranoia attack”, to be honest Frank is describing the same thing here. But presumably once you’ve had one, you don’t think you’re dying again?
In truth, our information provided by UKCIA here is somewhat more honest and accurate.
Pukey:
Using cannabis can make you feel unwell. You may go completely pale and feel like you’re going to puke
Frank has this thing about cannabis making users “puke” – be sick – and claims it often happens when you get stoned, whereas in truth it’s very very rare. Frank is over hyping the “whitey” a bit here, an effect most often seen when cannabis is used in combination with alcohol. UKCIA’s more honest information is here
Giggles:
Some people get the giggles after using cannabis – you may laugh at the most random things
Is this really a downside to getting stoned?
Munchies:
Getting the munchies is a a well known effect of using cannabis. You feal really hungry and need to eat loads, usually junk food or whatever’s in the fridge
Oh dear or dear… For the record munchies can happen, but the idea that people toke on a spliff and then dive in to the fridge is just daft.
And that, according to Frank, are the total effects of cannabis. Such a claim is, of course, utter rubbish and anyone who is told this is the truth and who then tries cannabis will soon understand they’ve been lied to and will be even less receptive to the advice they do need to have. In all honesty of course, although some people don’t have a good time, getting stoned is fun and very enjoyable for the vast majority of people. If they want to be believed, Talk to Frank really needs to accept this fact.
Regarding the regrading Frank has this page which explains the new law (which actually for under 18’s is unchanged although he doesn’t say that). The information given here has been discussed enough on this blog and elsewhere, suffice it to say the way Frank explains the fact that the government appointed a panel of experts to advise them, and then ignored that advice makes interesting reading.
So at last, we’re through with the Cannabis: Mess with your mind “interactive” website. UKCIA will offer a critique of the main cannabis information provided by Talk to Frank in a forthcoming blog.
Frank was founded on the basis that shock tactics hadn’t worked in the past and we were promised the site would be factual and honest. They seem to have forgotten all of that. The government’s drugs education site has reverted to form and has returned to using shock tactics to frighten people into obeying the law.
Warning people of an experience they are unlikely to get is of dubious value and is probably why such shock tactics don’t work. This is especially true when the young people are likely to hear very different and more accurate accounts from people around them, let alone experience the truth for themselves.
There are downsides to the cannabis experience for some people and while these shouldn’t be downplayed, neither should they be over-egged. Vulnerable young people – children – need protecting from the massive unregulated trade, but this isn’t going to help bring that about. Fact is cannabis is a very enjoyable thing for most – which is why people use it.
In all honestly someone should have a word with the website developers about accessibility though, in that respect if no other, the Talk to Frank website is very badly designed.
UKCIA cannabis risks section
i personally think its sick that a website thats sposed to be a beneficial to the youth of this country is lying to the very people who come to it for honest, factual information… its sad, the way politics is going these days…much respect to the people at UKCIA for making an effort to sway people from listening to such ridiculous advice..
I’m really sorry but I fail to see where the surprise is here. This is from the same government that has proven time and time again that they aren’t going to allow any drug policies to enter in to the grounds of common sense or scientific evidence.
The thing people need to remember is that this isn’t Talk to frank, this is Talk to brick wall!
Talk to Frank has been promoted on New Zealand television by visitors (speakers) at the recent pre-Vienna “through the maze” Healthy Drug Policy Symposium. The usual political grandstanding that there will be no revision of the law surrounding cannabis due to the emerging social, mental and criminal ‘dangers’ characterises the media coverage. However that rhetoric should not distract from the substantial networking ‘value’ of the symposium.
Dear ALL,
What I want to know is how many teenagers are likely to read the damn thing anyway, even if it wasn’t largely scare-scaremongering and thus a bit useless? Seriously, do any of you have any idea of what percentage of children are likely to go on-line only to be told not to do cannabis?!
I remember my teens: I’d rather do drugs, OR read scientific books about drugs. I totally ignored anything like “Talk To Frank” as it was meaningless to me
What a[nother] waste of tax-payers hard earned money
I dunno, i really don’t
Andria Efthimiou-Mordaunt MSc
P.S: OK so I was one of yr more educated teens but still i ask how many nowadays are likely to go to that site and successfully be deterred? if you go to the site in the first place, you are going because you are a) into drugs Already, or b) studying them
I rest my case
This campaign seems not to take account of the psychology of the teenage mind. Danger does not put them off , neither does ruining their later lives. In fact if it seems dangerous and wrong (but really is not wrong in the experience of their peers) it makes it all that much more attractive. In short ‘Talk to Frank’ adds to the romance of the whole thing for young people.
When I was a teenager it was the (Nancy Reagan inspired) ‘just say no’ campaign – which mainly focussed on heroin as the danger and made little mention of cannabis. As an uneducated teenager I sort of reasoned that if all these pop stars like Paul McCartney et al smoked it and were still lucid and able to turn out good music then weed was not that bad. It would not have occurred to me to ever listen to something like the “frank” campaign.
They could of course mention the real dangers of cannabis such as adulterated supply, criminal and violent dealers, the dangers of mixing it with tobacco and the social isolation that an enthusiast for this kind of activity receives. But they can’t since these problems are all made much worse by prohibition and most could be largely eradicated by legalisation and regulation.
(If you find the word ‘enthusiast’ inappropriate then compare with alcohol use – no one says it is wrong to be a wine connoisseur or a real ale enthusiast do they)
A good campaign against the use of cannabis should be able to sway a hardened ‘addict’ (or ‘connoisseur’ – take your pick) of over 20 years as well as a teenager. To target the campaign at a defined social group when the ‘problem’ occurs throughout society is silly. Where is the campaign targeted at 30, 40 or 50 somethings since many of them are also users. Maybe this would invite too much comment and discussion. Compare with the anti-smoking (tobacco) campaigns and it does look like an oversight doesn’t it !
The current situation with regard to cannabis law is ludicrous & flies in the face of the facts.Alcohol & tobacco are far more harmful & also addictive.Of course any drug should be used rather than abused-alcohol being a prime example.Cannabis,used wisely,has a number of medical benefits & trials are being run for the treatment of M.S.It also helps sufferers of arthritis & can also,being a euphoric,help to lift depression.UKCIA are to be commended.Will we ever have an enlightened society ?
As far as im concerned cannabis is only illegal because the government havn`t found a way to put tax on it, and all these scare tactics they use are rubbish, cannabis should be a personal choice as is tobbaco and alchohol and personaly i used to suffer from acute anxiety attacks and cannabis was the only thing that gave me relaxation and i will continue to use it. I also have experienced these “PANIC ATTACKS” wich yes can be scary but it happens to everyone at least once and you either recognise what they are and chill out or cannabis isnt for you and as for the governments tactics why is it they never get the perspective of anyone who has used it and can tell the beneficial factors from personal experience like me, but they will never do that so all we can do is light up and chill.