Congratulations to Thomas Siebel and The Meth Project for landing in the third spot of Barron’s annual ranking of philanthropies.
And congratulations to my clients, Lee Shaw and Jim Langford, for their hard work bringing The Meth Project to Georgia. It’s been an incredible first year working with the Georgia Meth Project and next year looks even better.
The ranking announcement was made in Barron’s cover story this week, “The 25 Best Givers.” This is the second year in a row the Meth Project has been named to the magazine’s list; it was ranked number five in 2009.
In awarding the Meth Project its number three spot, Barron’s said:
“The Meth Project is spreading—and teenage use of methamphetamine is falling as a result … [The] massive campaign of provocative antimeth ads, first rolled out in Montana, moved into Georgia this year and was stepped up in Colorado and Hawaii … In Montana, teenage meth use has fallen below the national average for the first time since 1991.”
The Meth Project launched in Montana in 2005. At the time the state ranked number five in the nation for methamphetamine use. It has since dropped to number 39. Teen Meth use in Montana is down by 63 percent, Meth-related crime has dropped by 62 percent, and annual costs to the state as a result of methamphetamine have dropped by $100 million. Over the past five years, the Meth Project has expanded to eight states: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Montana, and Wyoming. In Idaho and Arizona, teen Meth use also dropped significantly after the Meth Project was implemented: by 52 percent in Idaho and 49 percent in Arizona.
The Georgia Meth Project is nearing the end of its first full year. More than 4,500 people have become fans on Facebook and hundreds of people have volunteered to help spread the prevention message to their communities.
If you’re looking to keep up with the Georgia Meth Project, you can also find it on Twitter and YouTube.
Related articles
- Georgia meth bust one of biggest ever: police (reuters.com)
- Bill, Melinda Gates Top Barron’s Philanthropy Ranking (devex.com)
- Our Meth House (boingboing.net)
