PSA: Above the Influence – Achievements
April 14th, 2009 by TraciiI let people draw on me.
Oh, the horrors of teenage drug addiction.
Looks like the folks at Partnership for a Drug-Free America are having a hard time finding effective ammo for the war machine on marijuana.
Since learning that pot doesn’t kill brain cells or cause any of the other atrocities once tied to it, drug warriors have resorted to increasingly desperate measures to deter people from using it. The result? Gems like the one seen above, that provide nothing more than a hearty laugh for stoners and others with common sense.
But it’s not all fun and games. Between 1998 and 2006, taxpayers spent $1.4 billion on America’s anti-marijuana ad campaign. That’s billion, with a ‘b.’ Quite a hefty sum considering that a 5-year study released in 2006 by the Government Accountability Office concluded the campaign was not only ineffective but even encouraged drug use in some cases.
Now I’m no scientist, but I’d like to see the evidence linking overzealous text messaging to marijuana use. There’s already a name for that — it’s called drunk dialing. All the other so-called “achievements” in the ad are things teenagers do anyway and could be blamed on underage drinking or prescription painkiller abuse for that matter. Good luck getting an organization funded by the alcohol, tobacco, and pharmaceutical industries to mention any of that.
Oh well, at least the background music is catchy, “The Hustle.” Keeping up with the times I see.
Parents: Beware of Heavy Metal and Vanishing Visine
October 15th, 2008 by PerryWho says we can’t learn a lot from the 80s?
This classic anti-drug footage from the Reagan era shows that the war on drugs was (at least) a little more honest in their approach, although no less entertaining in retrospect.
My favorite part, when she started smoking pot, the music changed. It went from pop-rock to heavy metal. And I could never find any Visine bottles; of course nobody knew where they went.
Another Ridiculous Anti-Drug PSA
October 3rd, 2008 by PerryAnother Oscar worthy joint by AboveTheInfluence, this video is 1 of the 8 major commercials in rotation by the most amusingly pointless anti-drug group out there.
Obviously whoever created this brilliant little short understands the importance of arming America’s youth with good, honest information about the evils of drug abuse. I know every time I’ve gotten high, I think to myself, “This feels just like a kick to the nuts by an angry horse.” This one is right up there with the stoners who run over the little girl leaving the drive-thru.
If the government would just admit marijuana is not that harmful to adults, it wouldn’t entice so many kids to try other drugs when they found out the bullshit behind these scare campaigns. It’s really that simple. Unfortunately, the government would rather waste tax dollars on moronic metaphors and over-stretched cliches.
Just Say No to New Anti-Drug PSA’s
February 1st, 2007 by Alex
Ever watched an Anti-Drug PSA and thought, “What the hell are these guys smoking?”
You’re not the only one.
Studies have shown that these anti-drug commercials are not only completely unsuccessful but also a waste of millions of dollars in taxpayer’s money.
So, after years worth of supporting research into this topic, you’d think the government would change it’s tactics. Well, it has … kind of.
The newest stream of PSA’s have gone from high-budget, live action spots to badly drawn, poorly thought out excuses for anti-drug commercials. I mean, these things get more ridiculous every time I see them, yet somehow they keep getting made.
Today, we’re going to look at the latest batch of garbage from Above the Influence – the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s attempt at influencing today’s teens into going along with America’s outdated anti-drug program.
Read on to see the commercial mayhem.
Just Say No: Cartoon All-Stars
December 20th, 2006 by AlexSponge Bob who? If you need to learn about saying NO to drugs, it’s time to get real with the Cartoon All-Stars. Here we have a couple of outtakes from this ironically hilarious anti-drug PSA.
No one drops knowledge like Alf or Bugs Bunny, Baby Kermit or the Chipmunk kids. They give it to you straight – Marijuana leads to craziness, you turn into a ghoulish zombie on drugs and the smoke monster loves crack. There really isn’t anything more to say.
Entire episode action after the jump.
Frank’s Brain Shop
November 6th, 2006 by AlexHere’s proof that America isn’t the only country producing retarded anti-drug PSAs. Other than being pretty disgusting, this one tries to promote the notion that weed makes you freak out and puke.
Uhhh, that’s a negative Mission Control…
Anti-Drug PSA is Comedy Gold
November 1st, 2006 by Alex
This gem of a PSA was pointed out by a Pitchfork Media staffer, and damn is it funny. It’s a well known fact, even proven scientifically, that the governments massive anti-drug campaign is useless. Well, except for wasting lots of money, it’s great at that.
Here is another in the long line of retarded PSAs. This one is great, because not only does it say weed turns you into a poser, but an indie-rock listening poser. Noooooooooo!
You can download the Poser PSA here or read the full transcript below:
Robotic Voice: Being popular was all I could think about last year. I wanted to, like, be cool with everybody. I listened to music that I didn’t like and laughed at stuff that wasn’t funny. I programmed myself to be a totally different person to everyone.
*computer voice starts to change into a real human voice*
Female Voice: But I wasn’t myself. Now I’m not pretending to like indie rock or anything like that. And people think that’s cool.
Male Narrator: Live above the influence. Above weed. Check out abovetheinfluence.com. Sponsored by the ONDCP and the Partnership For A Drug-Free America.
I don’t know what Partnership for a Drug-Free America has against Dinosaur Jr., The Pixies or Pavement but it seems like they’re the ones living on Shady Lane.
[via PitchFork Media]
