Just Say No

"Just Say No" was an advertising campaign during the 1980s and early 1990s. It was part of the U.S. "War on Drugs." The campaign wanted to discourage children from using illegal drug(s) and offered various ways of saying "no". "Just Say No" was also used by other organizations, such as DARE, to discourage violence and premarital sex. The slogan was created by First Lady of the United States, Nancy Reagan.[1]

First Lady Nancy Reagan speaking at a "Just Say No" Rally in Los Angeles.

Beginnings

The campaign began in the 1970s as part of a substance abuse prevention effort by the National Institutes of Health. It was created by Professor Richard I. Evans from the University of Houston. Professor Evans thought that if you taught students how to resist peer pressure, then you could reduce unwanted behavior.[2]

While her husband was campaigning to be President, Nancy Reagan became involved with this movement in 1980 when she visited Daytop Village in New York City. After her trip, she felt a need to teach youth about drugs and drug abuse.[1] After her husband was elected as President of the United States, she returned to Daytop Village. She told them that she would tell others how dangerous drug abuse is.

Understanding what drugs can do to your children, understanding peer pressure and understanding why they turn to drugs is...the first step in solving the problem.[1]

Efforts

The slogan "Just Say No" was created by Robert Cox and David Cantor. They worked as advertising executives at Needham, Harper & Steers/USA in the early 1980s. [3] Nancy Reagan first used the phrase in 1984 when she visited Longfellow Elementary School in Oakland, California. A schoolgirl had asked what to do if she was offered drugs by her peers. [4] Soon "Just Say No" clubs became common within schools and school-run anti-drug programs. Within these clubs, youth made promises not to use drugs.[5]

References
  1. "Mrs. Reagan's Crusade". Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. Archived from the original on April 27, 2006.
  2. Evans, R.I. (in press). Just say no. In Breslow, L., Encyclopedia of Public Health (p. 1354). New York: Macmillan.
  3. Roberts, Sam (2016-06-22). "Robert Cox, Man Behind the 'Just Say No' Antidrug Campaign, Dies at 78". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  4. "Remarks at the Nancy Reagan Drug Abuse Center Benefit Dinner in Los Angeles, California". web.archive.org. 2016-03-05. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2023-02-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. "Nancy Reagan Biography :: National First Ladies' Library". www.firstladies.org. Archived from the original on 2012-05-09. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
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