Slog

News & Arts

Line Out

Music & the City
at Night

« The Breaking Bad Chitty-Chat Club!… | Here's a Horrific Way to Start the… »

Monday, August 6, 2012

Politics An Excellent New Ad to Legalize Marijuana

Posted by Dominic Holden on Mon, Aug 6, 2012 at 11:11 AM

Check out this new 30-second TV spot to pass Initiative 502:

The piece begins a $1 million television run this week, ramping up to the fall election, making it by far the best-funded, most-polished piece of marijuana advocacy in Washington State's history.

And here's what makes this appeal exceptional: It's not about pot smokers. Right out of the gate, our protagonist says, "I don't like it personally..." This dodges the common mistake of pot activists; she's not talking about about her righteous crusade to smoke pot, her indignation about the man harshing her liberties. Most voters don't care about that crap. Voters care about themselves. So, smartly, this ad is about the benefits of legalizing pot for non-pot smokers: cut off gangs from drug revenues, use savings and tax revenue to fund education and health care, free police officers to fight serious crime. That is, here's a mom-type saying legalizing pot could make you safer! That's a much larger political tent than the old sanctimonious pot smokin' yurt.

This ad is also framed as a question to provoke conversation. (Again, not the strident tack of most pot activism.)

As Alison Holcomb explains on behalf of New Approach Washington, which is sponsoring the ballot measure, "A lot of people fear that if they engage in a conversation about changing marijuana laws that they are advocating using marijuana." This ad baby-steps people through a safe conversation.

By running the ads early, Holcomb says, voters have more time to digest the initiative's proposal to legalize pot possession, tax the commerce, and regulate its sale to adults 21 and over. "What we found," Holcomb continues, "is that the more people think about this issue and have a chance to look at details of what marijuana regulation may look like, the more comfortable they are with it."

FacebookShare

Comments (17) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

Hey, hello! The camera is over *here*!

Posted by aaronbrethorst

on August 6, 2012 at 11:28 AM

Lame setting, though. They want to make it seem like a natural setting, but a cafe where everyone in the background ignores a woman talking to a camera the way she is looks very unnatural.

Posted by seatackled on August 6, 2012 at 11:31 AM

You know that lady smokes mad bud.

Posted by I'm 85 Years Old on August 6, 2012 at 11:46 AM

I love smart messaging. Especially when it pisses off the fools who've been fucking it up for years.

Posted by pheeeew!crack!boom! on August 6, 2012 at 11:52 AM

@2 I see you haven't been in a cafe in the last decade since everyone got cameras on their cellphones and laptops and tablets and hold long conversations with their gfs in Tibet.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on August 6, 2012 at 11:53 AM

....and where is the patient benefit is this multi billion $ per year project? Taxed right back to the street for affordable medicine.

Posted by twystedsyster on August 6, 2012 at 11:56 AM

i recommend they use this as the background music- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CL77xgPy…

Posted by aardvark on August 6, 2012 at 12:12 PM

@5

The cafe in the ad is too quiet for her to go unnoticed. The guy reading should at least have glanced over in annoyance or something. Everyone is acting as if she's not even there.

Posted by seatackled on August 6, 2012 at 12:12 PM

As the election nears I'd love to see ads touting the conceivable agricultural benefits to central and eastern Washington. Regulated marijuana could not only provide farmers with a profitable new crop (not so new for some), but also expand on the wine tourism that is making the region a destination.

Posted by Madge on August 6, 2012 at 12:26 PM

Yeah, let's all ignore the actual people that prohibition hurts because, y'know, soccer moms and software engineers get all worried about their kids when you start talking stoners' rights. Yet here we are trying to convince the same people that jailing stoners is working against their interests? How? MM is a salient issue, but let's drop the charades and start hammering the fact that it hurts actual real people to jail them for consuming weed.

Posted by Paddio on August 6, 2012 at 12:37 PM

People watch TV anymore?

Posted by LiberatusQuirkus on August 6, 2012 at 12:56 PM

Personally I feel this message to the public is suitable, it is a conversation that a lot of people are afraid to talk about, especially kids to their parents. Marijuana from my experience would be rated with drinking a beer personally. I respect everyone's position on the subject because everyone has a different take and/or different experiences dealing with marijuana. Take the next step Washington, lead America into something we all can honestly benefit from, especially during these rough times of economic trouble. Save life's and destroyed families over such a harmless plant and help get police after the real problems and not just people smoking marijuana.

Posted by Moderndayhippie on August 6, 2012 at 3:16 PM

You see @10, this is why the ad is effective because honestly I read your comment with haughty, self-righteous tone and it was...frankly, unconvincing.

There should be ads that point out those issues, and as the vote approaches, I'm sure there will be, but for now, this was a pretty good ad. It's one my mother might watch, and then come to me and say, "Okay, so tell me these supposed benefits of legalizing marijuana."

Posted by Pick1 on August 6, 2012 at 3:29 PM

It's unfortunately a conversation that is lacking common sense. How do you tax something that anyone can grow? The gangs don't sell weed, they sell meth or crack. As far as education, what good is it if the kids come to school high? How many jobs will be lost to those employees that think when this passes, that its okay and fail their UA? (already upheld by the courts). Most of the people in jail for MJ are there for dealing or multiple convictions, not the "innocent" user. Just some thoughts on the subject...

Posted by Antagonist on August 7, 2012 at 9:16 AM

@14, Easy.
-I can grow my own vegetables and make my own beer. Doesn't stop me from going to the grocery store.
-Kids who go to school high? And where exactly are they getting this marijuana from if we are selling it like alcohol (i.e. to adults only)? Do we have a major problems with kids going to school drunk?

-The drug test issue will need to be addressed, but honestly I would never work for a company that tests me. Even in this economy. But that is my personal stance.

I would love to see your stats on who is in jail.

Posted by Akbar Fazil on August 7, 2012 at 12:08 PM

#10 Paddio: I agree with you that people have the right to use weed (all the more so since other folks are allowed to use killer alcohol), but the issue now is what arguments will best convince the people who are currently undecided or not sure about their vote. Convince, or at least lead to further discussion, I strongly agree with the campaign spokeswoman that the more the subject is discussed, the better off the campaign will be.

As far as convincing people that "jailing stoners is working against their interests? How?", the ad gave 3 good ways: legalization will "cut off gangs from drug revenues, use savings and tax revenue to fund education and health care, free police officers to fight serious crime." It will also increase police-community cooperation and respect, and free drug education from the credibility destroying, wildly hypocritical task of justifying alcohol supremacism over cannabis, and give a useful boost to the economy.

Posted by saynotohypocrisy on August 10, 2012 at 2:43 PM

That's what we need is more people medicating themselves!!! ! Is this the only idea you can come up with to get revenue for the state??

Posted by Discusted by your pot pushing ad on August 22, 2012 at 8:58 PM