Pubdate: Mon, 27 Oct 2003 Source: Sidelines, The (TN Edu) Copyright: 2003 Middle Tennessee State University Contact: http://www.mtsusidelines.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2861 Author: David Cotton BETTER USES FOR MONEY THAN ANTI-POT ADS Speaking of Which I remember when public service announcements were innocent. They provided useful advice on what to do if your house was on fire or if you fell off a boat. It was good, practical information offered politely without any attempt to frighten, shock or intimidate. These days the public service announcement has taken a dark turn toward the absurd with the Office of National Drug Control Policy's anti-marijuana campaign, a supposedly youth-oriented campaign that has come to dominate the agency's agenda. For more than a year, we have been treated to a series of ads that ran the gauntlet from the speculative, the ridiculous, to the downright dishonest. These ads are expensive and cost the taxpayers at least $2 billion. Here are a few highlights in case you missed them. There's the one that ran during the Super Bowl that somehow linked marijuana and pregnancy. Depending on the couple, that may be an advantage. There is the one that shows two boys in a den apparently smoking, who find a gun that then goes off. This may have been an attempt to squeeze two topics into one commercial, since it is a more effective gun control statement than anti-marijuana statement. There is a disturbing one where some kids at a fast food drive-thru hit a little girl on her bike with their car. What profound statement accompanies such gruesome imagery? Marijuana can slow your reaction time. That's true, but so could the food, the radio, cell phones and idiotic banter. The most realistic one goes for a more subdued approach. In it, a boy complains of his older stoner brother whose only addiction affliction is being a coach potato. In a country where sitting around watching TV is viewed as a God-given right, this spot doesn't so much denounce marijuana as raise the question of why it is illegal in the first place. The most insidious one was a shameless lie that attempted to blame terrorism on marijuana. This kind of ridiculous statement questions not just the effectiveness of the government to speak to the nation's youth but its moral ability to do so as well. While it would take some time for a dollar spent on North American produced marijuana to reach al-Qaeda, it is common knowledge that American dollars spent every day on oil and gas, have a direct route. If we are to be concerned with drugs supporting terrorism, we might note that the United States, by scattering the Taliban and empowering Afghan warlords, has reinvigorated the opium trade. It is a problem the U.S. government has, perhaps prudently, chosen to ignore at this time. If any drug profits fund terrorism, these would be the ones. Unless people have stopped getting hooked on heroin and crack, marijuana - which has yet to record its first overdose - hardly seems worth all the attention. So why all the heavy-handed tactics on such a soft target? Throughout the country, various states have proposed legislature limiting the prohibition of marijuana, most concerning the medical use issue. These ads sensationalize the issue in an attempt to discourage intelligent debate and to interfere in a state's legislative process. Now it's nothing new that the federal government is willing to strong-arm states into compliance. However, there is something more sinister about a governmental agency using taxpayers' money and questionable material simply to provide for and justify its own existence. A study conducted for the National Institute on Drug Abuse showed the ads to have no effect on youth drug use. Even after admitting the lack of results, the head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, John Walters, still requested $1.8 billion more from Congress to continue the campaign. There is certainly an argument to be made that any money spent on this type of advertising is a waste, but I don't necessarily have a problem with the government offering a little helpful advice now and then. Just make sure the info is practical, not politically tainted and, most importantly, honest. Don't destroy the ad's credibility with groundless claims. Instead, present the very real and serious dangers out there. If you're ever on fire, remember to stop, drop and roll. Now there's a public service announcement you can use. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart