I have read about and researched the Taliban for a few years now (as soon as I heard about the treatment of women), long before 9-11-01. I also recall reading something to the effect of the Taliban morally opposing drug use, and that they curbed a lot of drugs leaving Afghanistan and directly affected their economy.
I do admit it's been awhile, so I don't recall where I read this, but I had the impression it was valid, and it fit into the other acts of the Taliban.
Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not supporting drugs or their recreational use whatsoever. I just don't like to see such outright propoganda. For one thing, I am inclinded to be a bit rebellious and do the opposite of what "authority figures" tell me, and was that way as a kid. Maybe more so. So I imagine other kids having those some inclinations would think they should run out and smoke.
And you can't overlook propoganda's influence in the past, either. I once saw a film called
Atomic Cafe which is a collection of old 1950's-early 1960's PSA's and "educational" films to help prepare Americans for the oncoming nuclear bomb(s). One seen had a boy wrapped in
foil, and his dad sending him off to ride his bike, "safe from harm".
Not to mention the WWII propoganda that shows Germans and Japanese as evil, or Hitler's propoganda that shows Jews as less-than human. When has anything good come from propoganda?
At any rate, I do think education (
facts, with research to back them up) are the best deterrent. As for the "truth" ads, I have mixed feelings on them. Some I like, and some I just find bizarre.