Above the Influence originated as a government-based campaign of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign conducted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the United States that included broad messaging to focus on substances most abused by teens, intended to deliver both broad prevention messaging at the national level and more targeted efforts at the local community level.
As of March 2014, federal funding and oversight of Above the Influence ceased, and it transitioned to become a program of the not-for-profit Partnership for Drug-Free Kids.
In 2006, the Government Accountability Office released the results of a five-year study, concluding that the previous "My Anti-Drug" campaign was ineffective, and likely counterproductive, leading those exposed to an increased perception that others use marijuana, stating, "analysis also indicated that among current, non-drug-using youth, exposure to the campaign had unfavorable effects on their anti-drug norms and perceptions of other youths’ use of marijuana — that is, greater exposure to the campaign was associated with weaker anti-drug norms and increases in the perceptions that others use marijuana.
[citation needed] "Evidence for the success of Above the Influence is especially heartening because the primary independent evaluation of its predecessor campaign, 'My Anti-Drug', showed no evidence for success", said Michael Slater, principal investigator of the new study and professor of communication at Ohio State University.
"The 'Above the Influence' campaign appears to be successful because it taps into the desire by teenagers to be independent and self-sufficient", Slater said.