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Demand reduction is a term used by drug control authorities to refer to educational and other efforts aimed at stopping people from seeking drugs, as opposed to or in addition to cutting off their supply. The underlying idea is that no matter how much effort goes into reducing the supply of drugs, it is impossible to completely eliminate them, therefore discouraging people from using drugs is likely to have a further impact on the drug trade.
Almost half of 12th grade students polled in 2003 University of Michigan study had tried marijuana, indicating that the War on Drugs is grossly ineffective when fought with the assumption that drugs can be eliminated simply by enforcing prohibition.
There are several avenues that a demand reduction campaign may follow. The simplest is to make a statement that a substance is unhealthy, similar to what is commonly done on cigarette cartons. Others, such as D.A.R.E., attempt to share the message about drugs with students while they're still in school, before they encounter them.
Anti-drug "shock" campaigns have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing the demand for societally-detrimental products. For example, the State of Montana began its own anti-drug campaign entitled Not Even Once, calculated to be a very gruesome and attention-grabbing way of warning the public about the dangers of trying methamphetamines. Uncensored blood, pain, and despair are all part of the show. For example, one video ad stars a healthy-looking teenage girl taking a quick shower on the way to a friend's house, excited to try meth for the first time. In the shower, she sees bloody water on the drain, and turns around to discover a beaten, bloody and weathered appearance of her future self crying huddled in the corner of the shower, screaming desperately, "don't do it!". The governor of the state of Utah felt that the campaign was so effective that he suggested that the idea should be adapted in that state as well (reference).
It is also notable that one government has recognized the value of "shock" campaigns, claiming tangible success in discouraging the demand for tobacco with their use. In June 2000, Canada mandated that the black-and-white warning messages on cigarette cartons be replaced with color graphic depictions of the consequences of smoking and must cover 50% of the front surface of each carton. Each tobacco product features one such image from a series, which includes people dying in hospitals, rotting mouths, and dissected body parts depicting tumors, along with simple bold messages stating that cigarettes cause cancer, mouth disease, impotence, and harm babies. (reference).
See also
"Demand reduction"