Drug-filled mail spawns NAPS Was It Worth It Campaign

THUNDER BAY – After intercepting several packages in Dryden filled with drugs and alcohol en route to Northern Ontario First Nation communities, Nishnawbe Aski Police Service decided to double down on education efforts to end the scourge.

The result was unveiled on Wednesday.

The Was It Worth It campaign and website were designed to deliver an intense message to people of all ages, with a focus on youth, showing them the consequences of what might happen with irresponsible alcohol and drug use.

Featuring pictures of people behind bars for violent crimes to unwanted and unplanned for pregnancies, NAPS Chief Terry Armstrong said he knows the campaign won’t eradicate drinking or drug use. But it could make people stop and think twice.

“It’s just a broad way of getting the message out there to the youth that there are consequences and to think of those consequences,” Armstrong said, adding police could focus on other more serious issues if they didn’t spend a significant portion of their time dealing with the aftermath of substance abuse. 

“The videos really project that, the consequences. Was It Worth It really fits into that.”

The campaign is part of a $100,000 effort – that includes the Dryden operation conducted in conjunction with the Dryden Police Service – paid for through a proceeds of crime grant.

The educational component is for anyone suffering from addiction and seeking a new route, Armstrong said.

“It’ll speak to those things and help them in the right direction, whether it’s a group they need to go to, and give them alternatives.”
The younger demographic is a particular target.

Armstrong said a new generation of alcohol and drug users is emerging and they’d like to convince them otherwise.
And for good reason, he said.

“There is a link between violence and alcohol consumption,” Armstrong said. “This is a chance to educate the public in a new, honest way.”

Cory Edwards, creative director at Flow Media, said they wanted to be edgy, intense and impactful, but not go too far.

“We didn’t want to cross a line, but we did want to get them to it and people talking,” Edwards said.

The app is location-based, he added, and users can log in and find alternative activities in their area that don’t involve alcohol or drug use.

“We’re hoping to start a conversation here and hopefully we can have some great feedback from it.”

No charges were laid in the Dryden operation, but officials said it helped them identify trends about how substances were being delivered to remote communities.