Winnebago ad targets meth use

WINNEBAGO, Neb. (AP) — Residents here will be tackling meth addiction over the airwaves and on the street with a new ad campaign.

The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska’s Meth Task Force and the Ho-Chunk Community Development Corporation sought residents to design anti-meth billboard ads and local TV commercials. The results can now be seen between breaks of your favorite shows and, starting May 1, on billboards near Winnebago.

“The message resonates to anyone, anywhere,” said Joy Johnson, corporation project director.

The ad campaign will last at least six months, using two commercials and various billboards, Johnson said.

Residents and groups such as the Many-Moccasins Dance Troupe contributed to the project funded by a $100,000 grant from the Office of Minority Health.

The ads focus on what to do when you suspect anyone of using or dealing meth, Johnson said.

According to a 2007 federal study, nearly two percent of American Indians had used meth during that year. In recent years, tribes nationwide have made fighting meth addiction a top priority, as has the National Congress of American Indians.

Reservations are often vulnerable to meth problems because of a lack of law enforcement resources, Johnson said.

The Winnebago Tribe is among at least eight other tribes such as the Crow, Choctaw and Northern Arapaho taking part in a national anti-meth campaign, Johnson said. Their work could then be used as models for other tribes to use.

Meth abuse here has gone down since the meth task force was created a few years ago, Johnson said, although there weren’t statistics to verify this.

The ad campaign is a way for the tribe to continue to prevent meth use and abuse, she said.

“It’s a horrible thing to have to have to happen to a family member,” Johnson said.