You Know That Commercial With the Parents Screaming "It was just a Little Pot"

[Nawledge]

is very funny,

 

they're taking turns pretending to be the kid and slaming the door in each others faces.

 

if I talked to my parents like that I wouldn't even of had door to slam in their face a second time.

[aeon]

Interesting too how they portray it as a confrontation that will be angry and violent...nice way to approach the situation...not!

[Dylan]

I find it amazing that Ive yet to see any ad in the last 4 years aimed at anything but pot. Why not target harder drugs that can actually kill you like meth, coke, X, herion, etc., instead? UnrealYour tax dollars hard at work folks .

[Hanshananigan]

Originally posted by Dylan PDX:

I find it amazing that Ive yet to see any ad in the last 4 years aimed at anything but pot. Why not target harder drugs that can actually kill you like meth, coke, X, herion, etc., instead? UnrealYour tax dollars hard at work folks .

It's because of it's prevalent use and clinging to the misconception that MJ is the "gateway drug" to harder stuff. they should know that the REAL gateway drug is ROCK -N- ROLL!!!

[doug osborne]

How about major campaigns against drugs that can and do kill millions, like alcohol and tobacco?

[the stranger]

Originally posted by Dylan PDX:

I find it amazing that Ive yet to see any ad in the last 4 years aimed at anything but pot. Why not target harder drugs that can actually kill you like meth, coke, X, herion, etc., instead? UnrealYour tax dollars hard at work folks .

You don't wanna know.

[tld]

Originally posted by Dylan PDX:

I find it amazing that I?ve yet to see any ad in the last 4 years aimed at anything but pot. Why not target harder drugs that can actually kill you like meth, coke, X, herion, etc., instead? Unreal?Your tax dollars hard at work folks .

I agree. more than 50 years of failed drug education, preaching the horrors of pot, and they still haven't figured that one out...amazing.

 

Don't you just love the series of adds they had a while back that showed kids getting arrested for pot and then effectively saying 'You see??...we told you pot was dangerous.' ???!!!!?!???!...what were THEY on when the thought up that one. That's like one step away from those 'Ex-Police' skits on the old Saturday Night Live shows ("another marajuana related death..." ).

 

Go figure.

 

Tom

[felix.]

Well it wouldn't be ok with me if my kids were doing drugs, even if it were just a little pot.

 

And I bet that most kids, confronted with drug use, would react pretty much in the way you see in the commercial - if you could get 'em to admit to using at all.

 

I actually thought it was kind of cool, a scenario of parents who were ready to face issues with their kids rather than avoiding them.

[bassix]

Being a dutch person I tend to have quite a liberal look on softdrugs.

 

Over here the commercial would probably be "it was just too little pot dammit"

 

Where I live it's okay to smoke pot (well except for some rightwinged moralists who think prohibiting will stop people from smoking... yawn tbh). It's being sold in "coffee shops" instead of on the streets so police/gov can more or less control it. Also this way the kids (and grownups) can't buy or be persuaded into trying harddrugs at the same place.

 

XTC and other pills is a different story though, these are being sold by shady persons at house parties... Chemicals used in nailpolish remover shouldn't be swallowed in the form of pills I'd like to think, seems to me that's bad for your health. What's the incubation period of cancer again? But then again I might be an oldfashioned guy.

 

On the other hand I heard over 80 percent of all coke that gets shipped into europe comes in through Rotterdam and that the Netherlands are the worlds greatest export country of XTC. guess our liberal ways have its downside.

[Jode]

Hell, Bassix, at least you have a concept that there are drugs that are not "hard drugs." It's hard to convince kids, or grownups for that matter, not to smoke pot when the worst side effect is not medical, but social - the most dangerous thing that can happen to someone who smokes pot is not addiction or health trouble, but getting arrested.

 

Yeah, that commercial sucks, but it's not as bad as the old Partnership For A Drug-Free America commercial that got yanked in the 80s. Anyone remember the one that said, "These are the brainwaves of a healthy fourteen-year-old... and these are the brainwaves of a fourteen-year-old on pot"? It was later found that the "high" brainwaves weren't those of a stoned teenager, but of a teenager in a coma. That's why the war on drugs is working so well: the candor and the honesty.

 

You're right, Dylan - I haven't seen any anti-coke, anti-meth, anti-junk ads lately. Maybe not ever. Well, there was that "Coke - the big lie" campaign in the 80s, which related a story made immortal by Jello Biafra in "The Power Of Lard":

 

Ever hear about the guy in New York whose dick fell off in the bath after he shot it full of coke?

 

[Griffinator]

Actually, there have been a number of radio ads about X. Ironically, they're funded by Christian Fundamentalist groups, not the DEA or the PDFA.

 

Seems as though even church people recognize how utterly screwed up the PDFA's priorities are. Kids are dying from crack OD's, X OD's, smack OD's - but we're worried about a drug that, according to some estimates, would have to be consumed at the rate of 115 pounds per hour, for 5 hours, in order to be fatal.

[aeon]

and as long as we are seeking the truth in these matters, lets be jonest about the number of deaths/overdoses from MDMA...there havent been any.

 

deaths from behavior undertaken while on MDMA, not caused by MDMA? yes...but deaths from MDMA itself? no.

 

and I say this not because I want to try an make anyone think MDMA is not a serious drug, or that I support it in any way...but because if we want to be serious about our approach to drugs as a culture, we have to be truthful in that approach.

 

cheers,

aeon

[Griffinator]

My apologies. You're right, of course. X itself doesn't kill people, most of the deaths are from severe dehydration.

[Nawledge]

I don't know Felix, I don't think that scenario is

very realistic, if thats the way alot of kids are

talking to their parents then their parents have way more problems than kids that smoke pot, seriously, my mom would kick my ass if I ever tried to talk to her like that or slam a door in her face. to me that commercial is just foolish, is it a commercial about pot use or bad parenting?

[Jode]

Originally posted by Nawledge:

I don't know Felix, I don't think that scenario is

very realistic, if thats the way alot of kids are

talking to their parents then their parents have way more problems than kids that smoke pot, seriously, my mom would kick my ass if I ever tried to talk to her like that or slam a door in her face. to me that commercial is just foolish, is it a commercial about pot use or bad parenting?

[felix.]

I guess we'd have to get the input of some parents from this board who have teenage kids. My oldest is still in the first grade.

 

I don't find it difficult to imagine either parents who aren't comfortable confronting their children on difficult topics, or teenagers who are potentially disrespectful or angry when confronted with difficult topics.

 

And for the record, I think marijuana use is a serious topic that should be addressed. I don't buy the "it's no big deal" argument at all.

 

The fact that we remember the commercial and that anyone is talking about it at all means that it has succeeded at least on some level.

[BP3]

My ex didn't like it, but I took my daughter to a festival I was working when she was 14. I took her backstage, exposed her to some of the artists and crew who were messed up, couldn't speak a complete sentence, could barely play or even walk. Some of these artists were ones who she thought were cool until that point.

 

It demistified the backstage experience (she won't even go backstage anymore) and we've had straight honest talks about drugs often since then. I don't present casual drug users as evil to her, but I got across the point that anything done in excess is stupid and a waste of one's life. She's almost 18 now, has never had a drink (unlike her dad), never smoke pot (unlike her dad) and still loves her music and her friends. She's also very supportive of her friends who've fallen victim to early drug abuse and has been partially responsible for helping a few of them out of their problems.

[felix.]

Very cool, TinderArts. Sounds like you have an amazing daughter, who's lucky to have an amazing dad like you.

[Nawledge]

i agree with you about mj not being a joke, i had a girlfriend once who had a wonderful personality

but couldn't function without pot, situations like

that suck. It didn't kill her, or make her kill anybody else but any time a substance is a priority it effects everything else in your life.

[Jeff Leites]

Originally posted by Doug Osborne:

How about major campaigns against drugs that can and do kill millions, like alcohol and tobacco?

They're out there.

[jcskid]

It's because of it's prevalent use and clinging to the misconception that MJ is the "gateway drug" to harder stuff.

i can honestly say:

had i never started smoking pot, i would NOT have ended up doing acid and shooting coke, MDA (the real deal not extasy crap), PCP.

 

before smoking pot, i never knew anyone who did the other drugs. much less where to get it.

 

as my drug addiction increased, the crowd i ran with's quality decreased.

not only was i exposed to worse drugs but also a a crowd with a decayed moral code (or lack therof).

 

so hey let your kid smoke pot.

 

on another note anyone who thinks that comercial is funny, obviously does not have teens, or isnt to concerned with thier welfare.

 

Scott

[Super 8]

I don't know exactly how we're going to deal with the drug issue, when my kids are starting to hit their teens. Should be interesting.

 

Alcohol has never been an issue for me. I got drunk once or twice as a teen, and did a little drinking in my 20's, but honestly, I never really cared much for alcohol (the taste, or the feeling of being drunk). Also, my dad was an alcoholic, so I'm sure that played a part in my feelings.

 

MaryJ, on the other hand.....

I don't know.

I was my own resistance movement during my teens. I pretty much looked at what peer-pressure was saying, and then did the opposite. I decided to try pot for the first time when I was 20. I loved it. The feeling of being high is far more enjoyable than the feeling of being drunk. I haven't had any in several years, but I'm not opposed to it at all.

 

How do I relate that to my kids?

 

My worst fear isn't that my kids will ever smoke pot. It's the stupid stuff that might do AFTER they've smoked pot. Like riding their bikes across a busy street, or some other thing that they would not do if their judgement wasn't being hampered by the effect of the drug.

 

I used to hang out at a dirt track when I was a teen. It was a popular place to go and hang, and ride the track, and do tricks off the jumps on our BMX bikes. It was also a pretty popular place to light up. I remember one time in specific when a bunch of guys had just smoked a bowl or two, and decided to get radical on their bikes. Nobody was hurt, but they were doing some wild shit off those jumps. I could see a person getting really really hurt doing stuff like that while intoxicated.

 

I'm not sure how to handle it...

[the stranger]

Originally posted by felix.:

And for the record, I think marijuana use is a serious topic that should be addressed. I don't buy the "it's no big deal" argument at all.

It doesn't matter whether you buy it, or not. How about the fact marijuana's use has been documented since the dawn of recorded history?

You know what is "a big deal"?

The government walking all over my personal liberties.

Not to mention, those commercials are bullshit.

 

See: War on drugs.

 

Since it's advent, the drug problem has gotten steadily worse.

Ever stop to think how much these commercials advertise and encourage, rather than discourage?

 

Why do you think marijuana usage is a "big deal"?

[the stranger]

Originally posted by jcskid:

It's because of it's prevalent use and clinging to the misconception that MJ is the "gateway drug" to harder stuff.

i can honestly say:

had i never started smoking pot, i would NOT have ended up doing acid and shooting coke, MDA (the real deal not extasy crap), PCP.

 

before smoking pot, i never knew anyone who did the other drugs. much less where to get it.

 

as my drug addiction increased, the crowd i ran with's quality decreased.

not only was i exposed to worse drugs but also a a crowd with a decayed moral code (or lack therof).

 

so hey let your kid smoke pot.

Bullshit. It sure is a lot easier to blame marijuana than take responsibility for your own actions, isn't it?

The same reason you did other drugs is the same reason you tried pot in the first place.

Why did you first smoke pot?

Blaming pot for other drug use is finding a scapegoat. Pot doesn't lead to hard drug usage. Poor personal choices leads to hard drug usage.

 

The only gateway drug is life.

[Nawledge]

alls I'm sayin jcskid is that I don't know any people who talk to their parents like that. I know

alot of people who smoke pot, relatives and friends included, but none of them talk to their parents like that, to me that's not just part of being a teenager.

[Raymar]

Bullshit. It sure is a lot easier to blame marijuana than take responsibility for your own actions, isn't it?

The same reason you did other drugs is the same reason you tried pot in the first place.

Why did you first smoke pot?

Blaming pot for other drug use is finding a scapegoat. Pot doesn't lead to hard drug usage. Poor personal choices leads to hard drug usage.

 

The only gateway drug is life.

 

I noticed that add on radio station KFIam because I listen to George Noory and Art Bell from time to time. KFI is a very right wing station.

 

I remember a friend of mine actually moving out of his house at 16 because he wanted to smoke his pot. It was definitely a gateway drug for him that led to harder drugs that he felt he was a connoisseur of. For me it led to hash, hash oil, beer, malt liquor, hard liquor, and a few LSD trips, and ironically LSD turned me off from LSD and pot, even drastically reduced my alcohol consumption, and recently I gave up coffee for tea. Personally I feel that TV is almost as bad as any drug, it may not kill you physically, but it kills off alot of brain cells, not to mention all the disinformation.

 

As for the exitentual line about personal choices, there may be some truth to that, but we have our weaknesses to learn about who we really are.

[the.circular.motion.rub.it]

honestly, the only message i get out of these commercials is:

 

DONT GET CAUGHT!

 

[the stranger]

Originally posted by Raymar:

 

I noticed that add on radio station KFIam because I listen to George Noory and Art Bell from time to time. KFI is a very right wing station.

 

I remember a friend of mine actually moving out of his house at 16 because he wanted to smoke his pot. It was definitely a gateway drug for him that led to harder drugs that he felt he was a connoisseur of. For me it led to hash, hash oil, beer, malt liquor, hard liquor, and a few LSD trips, and ironically LSD turned me off from LSD and pot, even drastically reduced my alcohol consumption, and recently I gave up coffee for tea. Personally I feel that TV is almost as bad as any drug, it may not kill you physically, but it kills off alot of brain cells, not to mention all the disinformation.

 

As for the exitentual line about personal choices, there may be some truth to that, but we have our weaknesses to learn about who we really are.

 

And those same paths of learning lead you where you choose to take them. I don't consider my previous choices to be the result of weakness.

I could give you any number of reasons, a lot of which I'm sure I share with others who choose to take certain risks, but if I had to choose one, I'd say curiosity. You live, you learn. You still end with a series of choices, and only you are responsible for those choices.

 

And how many kids try pot and don't like it and stop there? I have met more than a few.

This shatters the myth. Because it still comes down to what you choose to do. A marijuana plant doesn't have the ability to reach over and drop a hit of blotter on your tongue. But, you do.

 

Pot doesn't lead to harder drugs, people choose to do harder drugs.

[Super 8]

Originally posted by stranger:

It doesn't matter whether you buy it, or not. How about the fact marijuana's use has been documented since the dawn of recorded history?

You know what is "a big deal"?

The government walking all over my personal liberties.

This isn't really relevant though. True enough, marijuana is illegal for anyone (except certain medicinal purposes in certain states), but we aren't really talking about just anyone smoking pot....we are talking about *kids* smoking pot. Even IF it were legal to own and smoke your own stash, it's pretty doubtful that it would be legal for kids to be doing it.

[Hanshananigan]

Originally posted by jcskid:

It's because of it's prevalent use and clinging to the misconception that MJ is the "gateway drug" to harder stuff.

i can honestly say:

had i never started smoking pot, i would NOT have ended up doing acid and shooting coke, MDA (the real deal not extasy crap), PCP.

I won't discount your experience, and those who had the same experiences. Most (not all) folks do have their first drug experiences with booze then pot then other stuff (however, in poor urban areas, peaking in the late 1980s, it was not uncommon to skip pot and go to crack). However, the numbers of folks who stop at pot far exceed the number who try other drugs, who far exceed those who end up having drug abuse problems.

 

In reality, "alcohol" it the gateway drug.

 

The most dangerous thing about anti-pot ads is that they make pot seem worse than it is. Then, when kids try it and find out they aren't slipping into comas, they feel lied to and expect that other drugs are not (very) dangerous as well.