Marijuana, sex, taxes and kids are the themes of an advertising campaign launched this week in Washington, D.C. by Change the Climate, a non-profit organization that uses outdoor advertising to educate people about marijuana issues.
Change the Climate has purchased 600 bus shelter posters, bus ads and Metro billboards in the Capitol during the months of September and October. This campaign is one of two that Change the Climate has launched this September as part of its “Legalize Marijuana” advertising effort. The other campaign is in Boston, Mass.
One advertisement displayed on 40 bus shelters and 50 Metro buses highlights the connection between marijuana and sex — historical research shows that marijuana can enhance sexual pleasure for some people and assist with impotence. The ad directs people to the organization’s website where there is more information on sex and marijuana. “We couldn’t resist the marijuana and sex connection given the special interest President Bush and Attorney General Ashcroft have in the private bedroom activity of adults. Plus, every advertiser knows that sex sells,” says Change the Climate founder and Executive Director Joseph White.
A second ad on the inside of 500 buses features pictures of citizens with the headline “Save Our Taxes. Legalize and Tax Marijuana.” White continues, “Every year American taxpayers are bilked for over $7 billion to cover marijuana arrests, prosecutions and discredited anti-marijuana advertising. Our campaigns give voice to this colossal waste of money.”
The third ad that begins in October on 10 subway station platforms shows a teenager with the caption “Protect Our Kids. Legalize and Tax Marijuana.” “The government’s war on marijuana uses kids as the excuse for harsh marijuana laws, but these laws actually put our children in harm’s way, including denying student loans to the most needy students,” White continues.
Here’s a campaign that hopes to legalize marijuana smoking like cigarette smoking in order to prevent kids from smoking weed. And how many kids have stopped smoking because smoking cigarettes is “legal”?
