BURNING QUESTION: MEDICAL-MARIJUANA ADS

Which Is the Bigger Social Problem?

You may have noticed that the Sacramento News & Review is running
several pages of medical-marijuana advertising each week. Sacramento
Magazine publisher Mike O'Brien has also noticed. In a recent column,
he asked his readers, "Should we advertise pot?" Mike wrote that he is
concerned about marijuana use because of fears that it might impair
users, just as alcohol does. He wrote that he is opposed to
legalization because he has concerns about pot and alcohol use leading
to other, more dangerous drugs. On the other hand, he spoke to a
cancer patient who reported it gave her relief from nausea and
improved her chemo-impaired appetite. In the end, after gathering
input, he decided that his magazine will not accept medical-pot ads.

In his column, Mike wrote that many of the SN&R medical-marijuana ads
remind him of rock-concert ads he saw while attending UC Berkeley in
the 1970s. Mike, I resent that. Our award-winning design team creates
way cooler ads than the typical '70s rock concert ever had. And I
think you'd have to agree that the negative social effects of alcohol
use far surpass the damage done by marijuana. Perhaps Sacramento
Magazine should also give up beer-and-wine advertising. We'd be happy
to take over your bar-and-club ads.

After Mike's column ran, KCRA TV heavyweight Walt Gray came by our new
office. He interviewed both Mike and me for a story about
medical-marijuana advertising. He presented a very fair story, and I
like and respect both Mike and Walt. That said, Walt cut out some of
my best comments, e.g., that I don't see how the News & Review running
medical-marijuana ads is any different from TV stations running
massive amounts of commercials for pharmaceutical companies selling
drugs. Frankly, many of those pharmaceutical products have less proven
medical benefit than marijuana, and their overuse is partly
responsible for our country's growing health-care costs.

Walt also mentioned that KCRA does not run ads for escorts. While that
is true, they certainly run enough ads for politicians trying to
escort themselves into office. These millions of dollars worth of TV
political advertising distort our political process. These ads often
contain untruths and exaggerations, and the TV news shows do nothing
to correct the wrong impressions left by these ads that run throughout
the political season. Does anyone believe that escort advertising is a
bigger problem for our society than TV political advertising?

On Mike's website, he asked his magazine readers if he should take
medical-marijuana ads. I voted "no." I hope that next month, Mike runs
a survey asking his readers if he should accept ads from bars and
clubs. I'll be happy to vote "no" on that survey as well.

Meanwhile, I am hoping that we come to our senses and legalize
marijuana. While it might be bad for our business, it's the only sane
thing to do.