I've heard a few words thrown around about this new campaign–words like, "Hilarious", "Offbeat", and "Silly", but the one word no one seems to be saying is "effective". The problem is that this broadcast campaign simply fails on two levels. For one, they don't actually illustrate the dangers of driving while high. More to the point, in all these campaigns it's insinuated that the perp actually gets away with it. You can't blame them when taking into account evidence that...
...the results to date of crash culpability studies have failed to demonstrate that drivers with cannabinoids in the blood are significantly more likely than drug-free drivers to be culpable in road crashes. … [In] cases in which THC was the only drug present were analyzed, the culpability ratio was found to be not significantly different from the no-drug group.” –Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutic Potential. New York: Haworth Press. Pp. 313-323.
Second, the campaign exploits common tropes attributed to "stoners" to accomplish some kind of failed comic relief on behalf of a common stereotype. Now, I don't really smoke marijuana, but I certainly don't frown on people do. In fact, I'm more than glad it's legal and, given the millions in state revenue for the first month alone, that's nearly reason enough for every state to follow suit. And you can argue all day about making light of an issue at the expense of someone else, but at the end of the day, these commercials aren't even all that funny. Anyway, I digress. Check out the series here, here, and here.
