By AP/KWMU
Springfield, Mo. – A new national advertising campaign was launched in Springfield, Mo. on Monday, with the aim of informing people of other lesser-known hazards of meth.
One message is that meth labs can be harmful to your health, even if you never use the illegal drug.
White House drug czar John Walters says the 30-second public service announcements are aimed at getting neighborhoods involved in the fight against methamphetamine.
Each of the five ads focuses on how the presence of a meth lab endangers health and property values in the surrounding neighborhood. Manufacturing the highly addictive stimulant creates toxic byproducts.
In one spot, a man who unwittingly inhaled meth coughs and wheezes while being examined by a nurse. The patient's new home formerly housed a meth lab, but neither he nor the nurse is aware it remains contaminated.
The ads will begin running in 22 other cities in the coming weeks.