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Policy

Drug (Prohibition) Side Effects

Jacob Sullum | 6.21.2007 1:41 PM

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The Drug Policy Alliance has put together a cute pharmaceutical ad satire that mocks politicians who believe locking up drug offenders is the key to electoral success.

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Jacob Sullum is a senior editor at Reason. He is the author, most recently, of Beyond Control: Drug Prohibition, Gun Regulation, and the Search for Sensible Alternatives (Prometheus Books, September 2).

PolicyWar on DrugsNanny StateDrug PolicyDrugs
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  1. mith   18 years ago

    Who do we give money to to get that run as an honest to god TV ad?

  2. Shelby   18 years ago

    What mith said.

  3. Derrick   18 years ago

    Man, the public is so ready for change on the drug war. That's why mainstream politicians avoid that issue like the plague anymore.

  4. J sub D   18 years ago

    That's not just cute, it's really good. Two thumbs up!

  5. Geoff Nathan   18 years ago

    Who do we give money to to get that run as an honest to god TV ad?

    How 'bout drugpolicy.org?
    I've been a supporter for years--they do good stuff..

  6. davidstvz   18 years ago

    I wish the narrator's voice didn't sound like it belonged to a hippy.

  7. GILMORE   18 years ago

    Thats fucking awesome - very well done

    He doesnt sound like a hippy IMHO...pretty spot on for those type of pharma ads

  8. Pro Libertate   18 years ago

    GILMORE,

    Naturally, as it is the ex-hippies to whom the drug ads are aimed.

  9. LarryA   18 years ago

    Way cool, except it might be a little too subtle for many politicians. They might end up thinking drug war support will actually cure political ED.

    "Political ED." Great concept, and one that runs rampant in this cycle's crop of candidates.

  10. LarryA   18 years ago

    Who do we give money to to get that run as an honest to god TV ad?

    I doubt enough cash exists to get any of the networks to sell ad time for this spot.

  11. Taktix?   18 years ago

    I doubt enough cash exists to get any of the networks to sell ad time for this spot.

    Does anyone know if pirate television broadcasting is as easy as pirate radio?

  12. Bronwyn   18 years ago

    Beautiful... simply beautiful.

    The only thing that would make it better is if it was live-action and starred Smiling Bob.

  13. Baylen Linnekin   18 years ago

    Really great stuff. They could put in on local TV in closely contested states for notta lotta money, I bet, and get some results.

  14. crimethink   18 years ago

    One benefit of the Fairness Doctrine would be that it would, in theory, require stations that aired anti-drug messages to give equal time to pro-drug-legalization groups. Drug legalization is a political issue, so the policy would be pretty clear on that matter.

    But, I'm sure it wouldn't be applied in that way. Not to mention all the bad side effects from the Fairness Doctrine in other ways.

  15. mediageek   18 years ago

    Very well done ad. Good use of toon shaders.

  16. Christian B. Body   18 years ago

    Taktix?,

    Last known incident of pirate TV broadcast in the U.S.

    here

    CBS coverage of said event

    here

  17. Politician w/ ED   18 years ago

    Drug legalization is a political issue, so the policy would be pretty clear on that matter.

    Drugs legalization is not a political issue. This is about saving people from themselves and most importantly saving The Children?.

  18. biologist   18 years ago

    Incarcerex corrects electile dysfunction

  19. PKKline   18 years ago

    What Shelby said.

  20. 3gpabko   18 years ago

    my wife thinks that this is pretty clever and i agree with her.

  21. SJW   18 years ago

    Send it to the Daily Show! or Bill Maher!

  22. Wilz   18 years ago

    That's a really nice animation.
    Drug legalization +1

  23. dhex   18 years ago

    that was fucking great!

    ok here's the gameplan:

    we kidnap the staff of high times, sell them into slavery, and use the money to get this played on fox news all the fucking time.

  24. Hugh Akston   18 years ago

    One benefit of the Fairness Doctrine would be that it would, in theory, require stations that aired anti-drug messages to give equal time to pro-drug-legalization groups.

    As evidenced by those NORML ads pulled off of public buses in DC, drug prohibition is not a policy matter. The Fairness Doctrine doesn't apply when it advocates something illegal like drug use, or does something illegal like criticizing the federal government.

  25. so_been_there   18 years ago

    And do what than, if not handle the problem legally?? And it is a problem, I lived in Amsterdam for 2 years, and its 2 years of my life that i threw away to smoking pot, wasted opportunities for myself, distanced myself from close friends and GF. Its the legal availability of pot in holland that makes it so convinient for someone to turn it into a habit. As a heavy ex-user I hate this stuff and where I am now (compared to where i could've been), you cannot legalize weed, than it would be so easy to get, and being so easy to get makes it very easy to turn to a habit, and before long you've wasted so much.

  26. Anon   18 years ago

    so_been_there, it's so nice that you think that your own personal level of self-control should set the standard for all people everywhere.

  27. so_been_there   18 years ago

    not for all people everywhere, but for soo many

  28. Joe   18 years ago

    so-been-there is right. The same is true with the legality and easy availability of alcohol. We should make that illegal! What's the worst that could happen? Spurring the creation of organized crime?

    "Don't Stop"

  29. joe   18 years ago

    so-been-there is right. The same is true with the legality and easy availability of alcohol. We should make that illegal! What's the worst that could happen? Spurring the creation of organized crime?

    "Don't Stop" - blackout

  30. jeremy   18 years ago

    Wonderful, cute, well crafted, and poignant. The announcer sounds like the guy from King Missle, which would make sense. If Phillip Dick were god, this is what we'd see on our TV's.

    Speaking of, at 1 minute and 30 seconds thats a minute longer than most TV spots. I'm sure there's a network that would play this, possibly cartoon network? It would just take a whole mess of money. Like everything else in this world.

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