Oscar-Nominated "Black Swan" Director Shoots Scary Meth Project Ads

When we last checked, Darren Aronofsky was cashing in on Oscar buzz with Revlon. The Black Swan director teamed with Pharrell Williams for a dramatic ad starring Revlon brand embassador Jessica Biel.

Aronofsky has tweaked his focus a little for his latest ad project.

Teaming with The Meth Project, who worked with digital marketing agency Organic to create a trilogy of ads meant to combat meth abuse in Arizona, Idaho, and Colorado, the ads forego any "above the influence" suggestiveness and go for a frank, smashmouth message of what awaits meth users. Warning: the ads, which wonder "if I had asked…," might be disturbing.

Disturbing is of course the point.

The Meth Project "was established by businessman Thomas M. Siebel in 2005 in response to the growing Meth epidemic in the U.S. The Meth Project is a large-scale prevention program aimed at reducing Meth use through public service messaging, public policy, and community outreach." Alongside the three that are part of this campaign, other states are reenergizing their anti-meth messaging. The Wyoming Meth Project just launched a new ad campaign and interactive website.

The organization has been here before, if without a name as big as Aronofsky's.

A few years ago the Meth Project released ads with the message "Not even once." They rivaled the latest crop in their grittiness.

One of the ads even carried the same "you'll become a prostitute" scenario.

While public service announcements are well and good, the battle against meth is also taking on a more tactical approach, an approach that has pharmaceutical companies crying foul.

For example, Oklahoma lawmakers are contemplating a law that would make some cold and allergy tablets using pseudoephedrine prescription-only. The law would strangle the supply of the drugs required for meth production. But the push for new laws is slamming into pushback from pharma lobbyists eager to keep brands like Advil Cold and Claritin-D available over the counter.