cannabisnews.com: Group Spoofs Marijuana-Terrorism Link Ad Group Spoofs Marijuana-Terrorism Link Ad Posted by CN Staff on February 26, 2003 at 12:50:58 PT By The Associated Press Source: Associated Press A television commercial challenging the government's ad campaign linking marijuana use to terrorism will begin airing Thursday in the Washington area.The ad is a parody of the "Nick and Norm" spots sponsored by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy in which two men discuss whether buying marijuana ultimately funds terrorists. In the spoof, Nick tells Norm says the marijuana trade supports violence only because marijuana is illegal. "If I buy a beer, that doesn't support terror, because beer is legal, right?" Nick asks. When Norm agrees, Nick concludes, "So what you're saying is if we make marijuana legal and regulate it like beer, it wouldn't support violence."Produced by the Washington-based Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates marijuana legalization, the 30-second ad is to air through March 7 on the ABC, CBS and Fox affiliates in Washington at a cost of $20,000.Tom Riley, a drug policy office spokesman, said the argument is flawed because the same rationale also would support legalizing heroin and cocaine."Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," Riley said of the parody. "Our ads have obviously struck a nerve."Marijuana Policy Project spokesman Bruce Mirken said the government's campaign is misleading."The drug czar has really gone heavily on the anti-marijuana binge with the campaign he's running," Mirken said. "The point is really that marijuana doesn't cause violence, prohibition does." Note: Group Parodies Ad Campaign Linking Marijuana Use to Terrorism.Source: Associated PressPublished: Wednesday, February 26, 2003Copyright: 2003 Associated Press Related Articles & Web Site:Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Drug War Taking a Ridiculous Turnhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15173.shtmlWhy Kids Ignore Anti-Drug Ads http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13085.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #10 posted by Robbie on February 26, 2003 at 23:59:36 PT Virgil Is this the kind of thing you can see at Free Republic every day?------------------------------------------------------------To: hoosierskypilot"The point is really that marijuana doesn't cause violence, prohibition does."Utter nonsense. If that were the case we would have seen alcohol prohibition causing violence back in the 1920's3 posted on 02/26/2003 4:08 PM PST by templar --------------------------------------------------------------------------------To: hoosierskypilotProduced by the Washington-based Marijuana Policy Project,Huh wonder why earthlink news didn't mention that the Marijuana Policy project is basically funded by super socialist and Hillary firend, Geroge Soros.4 posted on 02/26/2003 4:12 PM PST by Dane----------------------------------------------------------I didn't need to go beyond that [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by Virgil on February 26, 2003 at 21:27:33 PT Free Republic link If you want to read the comments of this article at the Free Republic- http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/852686/posts [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by Virgil on February 26, 2003 at 15:15:25 PT Concerning Dr. Russo's bad news Wasn't it Maryland that defeated a MMJ bill last year and this year they said it would pass because those that opposed it lost their election? 1998 was 5 years ago. I wonder what it is now?Another big use coming to computers is using the hard drive to record video and it will surely replace the VCR in time. Now this may well be a USB connected hard drive that could easily be transported in the big plastic VCR cases used today and Linux machines won't even have software costs. What happens when the technology is gained by the technologically inclined reforms and they download these commercial like MPP and superimpose them over the programs they take to their grandma that cannot afford cable and has arthritis, colitus, migrains, etc?The blockade runners to the media blockade have a task ahead of them. I would say some politicians that voted for the continuation of facsist insanity will be out of office in the next election. The reformers will block the blockade and the soldiers that man the stonewalls on the Fortress of Insanity will be killed of.We will win even though the cost to society mount. There are also bigger problems in this country for citizens that want a bewtter world. It sure would help to be able to grow some anti-anxiety medicine for the fight to restore the country and world to the people. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by FoM on February 26, 2003 at 14:23:52 PT Dr. Russo I'm so sorry. I know how disappointing it must be for you. At least it received 40 Percent though! That's getting close! [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Ethan Russo MD on February 26, 2003 at 14:06:58 PT: Great Ad/Bad News The MPP ad is a classic. Too bad it cannot be shown nation-wide.Meanwhile, the Montana Clinical Cannabis Act was defeated on the House floor:HELENA - The Montana House of Representatives voted 60-40 today to reject HB 506, the Montana Clinical Cannabis Act. The bill would have protected gravely ill medical patients from the threat of arrest and prison for growing a limited number of cannabis plants with a doctor's recommendation under certain tight restrictions. The House vote today means the bill is probably dead."Despite the scientific support, despite the public support, and despite the pain and suffering of patients for whom this medicine works, sixty Representatives today voted to continue the current draconian policy of arrest and prison for using cannabis in a medical context.", commented John Masterson, director of the Montana chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).The 60-40 vote was mostly along party lines, with Democrats generally favoring the bill. However, the five Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, which heard testimony from three patients last week, crossed party lines to support the bill.A 1998 poll conducted by MSU-Billings found that over 70% of Montana adults support policies that allow for the safe and legal access to clinical cannabis.John Masterson Director, Montana NORML http://www.montananorml.org [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on February 26, 2003 at 13:20:21 PT Aww yeah! I approve! The direct link to see the ad is here: http://www.mpp.org/WarOnDrugCzar/commercials/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Commonsense on February 26, 2003 at 13:14:33 PT These guys will try to spin anything. "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," Riley said of the parody. These guys will try to spin anything to support there policies. It's amazing. This isn't really related except for a point they make about government using questionable research to support drug policy rather than shape it, but I bet some of you might get a kick out of this: http://books.nap.edu/books/0309072735/html/279.html (Informing America's Policy on Illegal Drugs: What We Don't Know Keeps Hurting Us (2001))The link is to the last page of a report from a government sponsored study about the effectiveness of our current policies and current methods for assessing same. The conclusion is that there is no proof that our current punitive system works and that it is "unconscionable" for us to proceed with "public policy of this magnitude and cost without any way of knowing whether and to what extent it is having the desired effect." It is an interesting study both because it is a blow to any government argument about the efficacy of the drug war and if you'll look at this last page and the one before it you'll note that these government sponsored researchers point out how the government has always been dishonest in maintaining their drug war. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by pokesmotter on February 26, 2003 at 13:03:14 PT: correction Tom Riley, a drug policy office spokesman, said the argument is flawed because the same rationale also would support legalizing heroin and cocaine.No the argument is not flawed. The rationale does support drug legalization. If terrorists DO make money off drugs, it is from hard ones like coke or heroin that cost much more than pot. Do gangsters still bootleg alcohol? [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on February 26, 2003 at 12:52:02 PT This Should Be Good! Way to Go MPP! [ Post Comment ] Post Comment