A new anti-crystal meth campaign featuring the warped mugshots of alleged repeat users is scary, but is it effective at discouraging drug abuse? Not really, say researchers. The “Horros of Methamphetamine,” launched by Rehabs.com, claims to show the physical self-destruction that the drug is capable of. The faces of youthful, virile men and women booked on meth-related charges rapidly mutate as the same individuals are arrested again and again. They transform into haggard, gaunt and unkempt visages just a few years after the apparent downward spiral began. Acne litters what was once unblemished skin, rosy cheeks hollow out and tangled clumps of hair replace neat ‘dos. The online poster warns that these are telltale signs of decay unleashed by prolonged, illegal crystal meth use. “I think it’s definitely more effective when people can see the outcome of what abusing that substance might be, it becomes more concrete in a person’s mind,” said Dan Tynski, Rehabs.com’s project manager.
