CHANGE THE CLIMATE AD CAMPAIGN RILES DC PUNDITS, POLITICOS

Change the Climate, Inc. (http://www.changetheclimate.org) has once
again brought its pro-marijuana law reform advertising campaign to the
nation's capital, and if the reaction from Washington, DC, elected
officials, editorialists, and columnists is any indication, they are
working just as hoped. The series of three ads, which tout the
benefits of marijuana legalization by suggesting it would improve
improve sex, save taxes and protect children, premiered last month on
DC Metro buses, bus stops, and billboards, and began appearing on the
DC Metro subway system this month.

And, oh, the howls they have generated! Washington Post humor
columnist Bob Levey certainly saw nothing funny in them. The sex and
marijuana ad in particular aroused Levey's ire. It was "stunningly
foolish" and "shrieky," not to mention "ridiculous and potentially
dangerous." And Levey was shocked, shocked, and shocked again that
anyone would attempt to use sex to sell something. DC Metro, the
transit authority which okayed the ads, should forget the First
Amendment, Levey wrote, and can them.

But DC Metro knows better. It tried to do just that before Change the
Climate's first DC ad campaign in January 2001, timed to be seen
during President George W. Bush's inauguration. Metro had to back down
after the American Civil Liberties Union threatened to sue on Change
the Climate's behalf for violating the group's First Amendment rights.
"While the subject may be controversial to some people, we have a
commitment to present all sides of every issue," Metro spokesman Steve
Taubenkibel explained to the Washington Times last week. "As long as
an ad is not vulgar, crude, uses no four-letter words and presents
their viewpoint, then they have a right to go up."

DC Councilman Jim Graham wasn't going for that First Amendment guff,
though. Graham, who is chairman of Metro's Board of Directors, told
the Times, "These ads are intolerable, and we need to review our
policies so that First Amendment considerations are not allowed to
compel us to accept this type of advertising." Graham claimed to
believe in the First Amendment, "but we are being carried to limits
here that no one can tolerate. When it leads us down this kind of
path, we must find another option," he added.

DRCNet was quite curious to hear from Graham whether it was the ads'
pro-legalization message that so riled him or the sex-and-pot
connection, as well as how he could reconcile censorship and the First
Amendment. A Graham staffer promised he would call back. We're still
waiting for that call.

Change the Climate also roused the Washington Times' editorialists
from their usual dogmatic slumber long enough to lash out at the ads.
Of course, in typical fashion, the Times editorial accused not Change
the Climate but the "public transit system and the DC government" of
"pushing for the legalization of marijuana." But DC Metro is required
by law to reserve 10% of its ad space for public service ads. As a
nonprofit organization, Change the Climate clearly qualifies. And as
Metro has pointed out repeatedly in this and earlier confrontations
over other controversial ads, the fact that Metro posts the ad does
not signify that it takes any position on the ad's claims.

Still, the Times pronounced itself befuddled by the very message.
"There are no logical explanations for legalizing marijuana or
encouraging teens to engage in sexual activity," the paper fumed.
Besides demonstrating its lack of awareness of the last 30 years of
global social history, the Times also tossed out a red herring with
its expressed concern about teen sex. The ad in question, which
features an adult man and woman, does not mention teenagers.

In fact, Change the Climate explicitly notes on its web site that, "We
want to stress that sex and marijuana are for adults -- or at least
for individuals who have achieved a level of emotional & psychological
maturity that is reflected in a balanced, productive life."

"It's certainly been a wild ride," laughed Joseph White, founder and
director of Change the Climate, "and it's been working. We've seen a
doubling of hits on our web site this past month, and more than 800
people have downloaded the sex and marijuana ads," he told DRCNet.
"The campaign has also helped us raise thousands of dollars through
our online contribution system at the web site."

White is not the least chastened by the criticism from commentators
and councilmen. "Politicians tend to mouth off a lot and offer very
little constructive feedback on these important problems," he said.
"Our campaign has the goal of promoting debate and discussion about
marijuana issues, and I think we have done that in DC, given the
reaction." Neither is he overly concerned about the charge that he is
using sex to sell something. "Like other advertisers, we're using sex,
but we're using it as an opportunity to get people thinking about
marijuana and marijuana policy issues, not sell products," he said.

While Change the Climate has also done campaigns in Massachusetts,
Nevada and northern California, Washington is a favorite target, White
said. "Washington is one of our target markets because that's where
the politicians who are standing in the way of meaningful marijuana
reform are."

The DC bus and metro campaign cost $97,000, said White. Most of that
money was raised from "parents and business executives," he said.
"There are more campaigns on the drawing board," White warned. "Some
of the magic created by Change the Climate is our ability to react
quickly to situations around the country, like the federal assault on
medical marijuana in California. We were able to get an ad campaign
around the Ed Rosenthal trial up and running in a matter of weeks,"
White said.

And by acting as a lightning rod for prohibitionists, the ads may be
easing the work of other reform groups, White suggested. "One of the
leaders of the marijuana reform movement told me we are like the PETA
of the reform movement," he said. "When we're talking about sex and
pot or kids and pot, they can be seen as relative moderates when they
talk about medical marijuana or decriminalization."