AD WATCH: WHY SHOULD ADULTS BE ABLE TO USE MARIJUANA INSTEAD OF ALCOHOL?

Title: Why should adults be able to use marijuana instead of alcohol?

Type: TV ad

Sponsor: Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation, supporters of
Amendment 44, which would legalize pot for recreational use.

Message: The ad gives statistics about the dangers of alcohol in an
attempt to show that marijuana is a safer alternative. A narrator
says that two-thirds of all spousal-abuse cases are alcohol-related
and that nearly three-quarters of all college rapes occur while a
female is intoxicated by alcohol. The commercial continues, "Do we
want our daughters growing up in a society where the only legal
substance for recreation is alcohol? Not if we love them."

Fact: The statistics in the ad are correct, according to reports by
the U.S. Department of Justice and the Harvard School of Public
Health. However, using marijuana has its own dangers, including
adverse affects to the brain, lungs and mental health, according to
numerous medical authorities.