“Money can grow on trees.” That is the message of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Foundation (NORML) in a 15-second digital ad scheduled to debut in New York City’s Times Square next week. The advertisement, produced and paid for by NORML’s educational arm, The NORML Foundation, will air on the CBS Super Screen through May 31, 2010.
“Regulating the adult use of marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol could raise over $30 billion annually in new tax revenue, while saving an additional $15 billion per year in law enforcement costs,” NORML Foundation Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said. “This tax season, why not ask your elected politicians why the federal government continues to spends billions of tax dollars enforcing this failed and archaic public policy.”
Fifty-three percent of Americans now support legalizing marijuana, according to the results of a December 2009 Angus Reid survey of over 1,000 adults nationwide.
The NORML Foundation’s ‘Money Tree’ ad will appear eighteen times per day on the CBS’s digital billboard, located on 42nd Street. Approximately 1.5 million people walk by the billboard each day.
In January, CBS and the NORML Foundation entered into a contractual agreement to air the NORML Foundation ad, beginning on February 1, 2010. However, representatives from CBS and Neutron Media abruptly pulled the ad prior to its scheduled air date, stating that its content did not comply with the network’s outdoor advertising standards.
Last month, representatives from the political advocacy organization Change.org organized an online petition targeting CBS Broadcasting and demanding the network to reverse their decision. Nearly 10,000 people signed and sent the petition.
CBS formally changed their position shortly after receiving the petitions.
“NORML would publicly like to thank Change.org for taking on this important political and First Amendment issue,” St. Pierre said. “We would also like to thank the thousands of concerned citizens who contacted CBS on NORML’s behalf. Without your participation, this important NORML ad campaign would not have been possible.
“Finally, NORML would also like to extend its appreciation to the CBS Corporation for responding to the will of its viewers, and acknowledging that marijuana law reform is a topic deserving of such a prominent public forum. Over 20 million Americans have been arrested for marijuana violations since 1965. It is time to end 70-plus years of federal marijuana prohibition with a policy of legalization, taxation, regulation and education.”
The ‘Money Tree’ is anticipated to be the first of two planned ad buys. The second advertisement is scheduled to debut in Times Square on April 20, 2010 – in conjunction with the informal marijuana celebratory holiday ‘4/20.’
Founded in 1970, NORML is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots organization advocating on behalf of marijuana law reform. The NORML Foundation was founded in 1997 to support public education, research, stake holder organizing and impact litigation. In 2009, NORML Foundation launched the first-ever nationwide television ad campaign calling for the regulation of marijuana by adults.
The time is upon us to legalize. My state, along with many others, is encouraging people to file their taxes early or perhaps receive an “IOU” when the state runs out of money! How many other examples do we need to come to the conclusion that only the most essential functions of government should be funded at present. We simply cannot afford the “War on Drugs” and the myriad of accompanied bureaucracies. Couple that with the crime of throwing people in prison for having jurisdiction over their own bodies, and we must demand change!
Good !
#46 – ckdk30
Just do what everyone else I know who grows it does – just get a bag of the best stuff you can find, and harvest the seeds from the flowers. From what I’m told, the seeds imbedded deepest in the bud are the best ones to use, due to them being protected the most (ie, least likely to be damaged).
Im glad I checked the NORML website today.
I quit smoking due to drug tests from work now it’s discusting beer for my after hours relaxing. Beer belly incoming =(
Keep fighting these stupid prohibition laws my brothers and sisters!
Someone should really go and record the ad being played and upload it to youtube!
In 1979, William White wrote a paper for NIDA titled Themes in Chemical Prohibition wherein he described the tactics used by drug prohibitionists of all stripes.
The tactics are as follows:
THE PROHIBITIONIST THEMES
A review of chemical prohibitionist literature reveals eight themes which appear to emerge from the tactics of most such movements. The tactics utilized to produce these themes are as follows:
1. The drug is associated with a hated subgroup of the society or a foreign enemy.
2. The drug is identified as solely responsible for many problems in the culture, i.e., crime, violence, and insanity.
3. The survival of the culture is pictured as being dependent on the prohibition of the drug.
4. The concept of “controlled” usage is destroyed and replaced by a “domino theory” of chemical progression.
5. The drug is associated with the corruption of young children, particularly their sexual corruption.
6. Both the user and supplier of the drug are defined as fiends, always in search of new victims; usage of the drug is considered “contagious.”
7. Policy options are presented as total prohibition or total access.
8. Anyone questioning any of the above assumptions is bitterly attacked and characterized as part of the problem that needs to be eliminated.
And our government has used this as their program since 1979.
#53 Luke yea iv’e got a couple of tiger striped seeds but to be honest im afraid to grow em they r in lock tight jars though
Awesome! Right on schedule for the upcoming elections. Remember to hound our democrat leaders to make the right votes on marijuana.
#54 yea i know whats next check our stool sample i mean in my beliefs thats going to far piss test ,hair sample,saliva,who knows maybe they will wanna check under our toe nails.If we are responsible users then there should be not affects at the work place just like Alcohol is now.
@ #55 David:
– The NORML Money-Tree ad IS already on
YouTube…
We need to flood the White House daily with e-mails until they understand were not “Trolls” and not going away…. We’ve been fighting this unjust law for over 40 years…
An e-mail barrage to TV Stations, News papers, and government agencies needs to start and not stop until we get justice….
holy crap. first petition i’ve ever signed that actually worked. sweet. now..all i gotta do is get to NY…
it’s a win for the crop in new york, i think ohio citizens need more education. No one should be discriminated agianst especially based on the governments propoganda that has been scietifically proven wrong.
I am so excited to see the effects this ad will have! Thanks NORML, and everyone else who helped bring about this change 🙂