Idea for anti-anti-drug ads.

[zera]

Imagine if the commercial opens up to a sunny afternoon cul de sac in (upper-middle class) "Middle America." (Warning long diatribe, skip to the next paragraph if you don't feel like reading something that will give you nothing to build on later)Yeah as "Middle" American as all that crap we get in trendy shows like Entourage (great show, but it's so not "artistically good."), and the neigborhood in Weeds (the show's entertaining, but don't think you're doing your "mandatory" social issue recognition that society and civilization require you to have in a modern democracy, try watching the Wire instead if that's what you're after), or CSI (where far more than half the victims are obviously living above the median income level)).

Anyway, sorry for that rant, we set it in place like that, a swanky West Coast, hip, small town with lots of hardworking people. The camera jumps from one person at one part of town to another and every person in that ad says "I use drugs recreationally and responsibly." From a 65 year old hippe (underneath him it will say "Frank Cavuto, 40 year long user of marijuana")to a dickhead coked out investment banker ("Tim Horton, uses stimulants to get through his very tough workdays") to a bunch of college kids having fun at an aftern gathering of predominately young people with a couple in love (and a really hot girl) staring at the sunset ("Jeremy Dupree and Chanelle Bradley, using MDMA to celebrate that they're now engaged").

Anyway we can use this sort of fun, feel-good campaign to get people to change their perception about drug users. To see some of drug users as positive contributions to their families, communities or the economy. Let's face it citing fact after fact about the intrinsic failure of the nation's current drug is failing does not sway the public's anger or contempt. We won that debate decades ago. Modern America's TV audience digests the average television news announcement in 60 seconds or less). The American people are not ready to believe anything that they can't be told by Katie Couric before the 1-minute countdown on their microwave burrito. We need a campaign that has the simples message possible "Not all drug users are dicks, or bad for society. Why should we get shit on instad of holding those assholes responsible." We innocent drug users never hurt a person, we're positive people who do positive things and stay out of trouble, and hence the limelight.

We need a public campaign support to show that people who do drugs could still be their kid's dentist (caffeine, we'll mix it in with the illegal drugs to make the illegal drugs seem less bad by comparison (but we'll continue to demonize alcohol constantly ranking it at "at or near" one of the hardest drugs for any one given criteria, all the time)). If people can tolerate the rights of alcohol users to get drunk, despite the fact that millions of drunk people around this country act like assholes every Thursday through Sunday night (including being the leading cause of auto fatalities in the country), then damn straight we should be able to get stoned after work, or take an introspective LSD experience (a vacation without ever stepping out of your room), or have a medication that's prescribed to millions of children being denied to a determined white collar worker to stop himself from quitting his job and letting his family starve, without the hassle of paying a price-gouging doctor.

We'll constantly want to keep drugs in the hands of people that are recognizable as an image of aspiration for a sizeable proportion of the population. No ugly people, no fat people, have them be all different races, but all still dress in the style of upper-class white people, and to have a friendly on-camera precesnse. The ad that we need to keep slinging throughout this ad is "Recreationally and responsibly". Recreational first because responsible re-inforces it, instead of vice versa. Anyway we keep repeating that mantra. The commercials in the early campaign will feature soft drugs, marijuana heavily, a little bit of mushrooms and peyote (that's where we'll fit in our Native American actors), and perhaps some people who use prescriptions off label because they're short on money or time or both (do you know how much a psychiatrist costs per hour?). Anyway as the campaign gets momentun we need to start bringing in the drugs that people are deathly afraid of, we'll run commercials about the so-called meth epidemic, showing responsible people who snort crystal because they used to be prescribed methedrine and the newer Ritalin and Adderall shit don't work for them, or people who are a little stressed out and don't like the way booze makes them fall asleep. We'll start to incorporate heroin users ("I use IV heroin because the Federal government has determined that Morphine tablets should no longer be sold to patients in non-clinical care. And I'm sorry but I stepped on a landmime in Vietname and goddamn Vicodin isn't making that pain stop. I go to work everyday as the manager of the local bagel shop, I pay my taxes and I talk to my two grown daugters everyday. But still because of the DEA, President Bush and United States Congress I have to face the risk of tainted heroin, obtaining syringes on a black market, and being arrested just because I was walking to get a drug I need to be able to move in the morning.). Coke users will be graudually phased in as rich, professional men who need a little pick-me-up party drug that doesn't lead to them throwing up, slurring their words or not waking up. Coke we won't focus on too long, there's much more of the bogey man in meth and heroin.

The only other drug I haven't thrown in yet has been LSD and the heavier/synthetic psychedelics. Once mushrooms are in, and then Psilocybin powder, DMT and Peyote will have to be legalized. LSD we won't center on until very late, and by then we parlay on the relative acceptance of psilocybin containing mushrooms. Always address drugs by their more scientific names, instead of acid or blotter, or windowpane or microdots, always always LSD. Have some of the heroin users call it "Diacetylmorphine, hmm hmm or as the news media likes to call it these days, heroin." Never Ecstasy, or God forbid XTC, but always MDMA. Chemistry makes people very very unsuspicious. GHB will be introduced as a bunch of athletes who need a good night's rest but still like to have fun with all their friends. ("no hangover, no fights, no vomitting, and no negative health effects different that that of GABA, a supplement that millions of people take for it's health BENEFIT!") Never show any of the legal synthetic like 2c-i, 2c-e, methylone, etc. Always point out the equivalent example on AMT or 2c-b, which is already banned, from the 90s when it was legal. Cracks a paradox for me, on the one hand powdered coke already has a much more positive image to it than crack cocaine, however I never feel like crack will be redeemed until people realize that it is simply a more potent, shorter-lasting form of cocaine. All cocaine and nothing else, no other jazz to it.

PCP may be the only unreedamable one of the bunch. I mean there's not even anyone still doing PCP, how can get "Recreational and Responsible Drug Users of PCP" to come on our show, when non exist. Same with qualudes.


Summary for people who don't want to read: The anti-anti-drug campaign (most definitely not the "pro-drug" campaign) is something for various people sympathetic to ending America's current drug policy, will support to run on popular television, featuring drug using normal people that live up to their obligations. The tag line will be "America's recreational and responsible drug users." This is the ultimate way to end prohibition, America's not about ideas, its about bad guys and victims, show drug users as relatable victims, not as bad guys.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Two thumbs up for the pipe dream! You go, friend.

[darawk]

I think it's fairly obvious that the best place to start is marijuana. And I think a good way to go to win over a crowd that is generally very anti-drug, is to focus on two things.

1. American soldiers can fight and die for their country, but they aren't legally allowed to smoke marijuana if they so choose.
2. Billions of dollars in tax money are paying to prevent those soldiers from smoking marijuana if they so choose. Billions of dollars that could be kept in the pockets of tax paying americans.
3. Guns and liquor are available on every corner store in poor neighborhoods. People die every day in car accidents. So where is the danger from marijuana? Even supposing marijuana is a "dangerous drug", it's legal for me to bash my head into a wall if I choose to, why can't I smoke marijuana?

[Nature Boy]

"Pick the criminal's pocket - legalise it, grow it, sell it, tax it!"

Reputation Comments on this post:

nice sum up of why the government would actually benifit :) (prolly the only reason they would legalize)

[Evil GIR]

Have some one say This is your brain on drugs, and start to cook an egg, then have them say this is your brain listining to goverment lies
and have themn go crazy and start smashing the frying pan with a large mallet and then continue to go on to throw the frying pan through the window and to destroy the kitchen with the mallet.

It ends with yes prohibition is just crazy and wrong

[Nacumen]

I'd be unlikely to support mass-media mind control to prove a point.

[Riconoen {UGC}]

you control the media you control the will of the people. fact of life.

[grandbaby]

Yeah, good idea. Lots of "BUT"s, though. First and foremost (even more than "Who's going to pay for it?!", which is no small question), you will be shut out of the game before you begin. Anti-abortion ads? fine. Pro-abortion ads? No dice. Drugs are even more anathema than aboriton to the general populace, so... draw your own conclusions.

It'd be a killer idea to do it virally, though - youtube and such. As much as I'd like to see an ad like that at halftime during the superbowl, it's not gonna happen.

Your only hope is to have some influence with someone who is related to someone who's a major exec at some media network that's less afraid to take a chance than most. Think of it like political lobbying. It might take years. It might ruin your life. And it might be the greatest thing you ever did.

Rock it, Zera.