SCRAP THE POT AND SEX ADS

Taxpayers in the Washington region might not have noticed yet, but their
public transit system and the D.C. government are pushing for the
legalization of marijuana. Metro and the D.C. Department of Transportation
began the pro-marijuana advertisements last month, displaying them on buses
and bus shelters. Plans also call for posters to be placed in subway
stations. There are several reasons why the ads should be scrapped - the
least of which is that they encourage young people to smoke pot and better
"enjoy" sex.

The ads are sponsored by an outfit out of Massachusetts called Change the
Climate. The organization, not unlike the more familiar group called the
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, promotes legalizing
pot. The ads in Change the Climate's latest campaign also urge governments
to "protect our children" by taxing marijuana. The ads are explicit,
misleading viewers to believe that even our soldiers endorse legalizing
drugs and condone teen sex. The seeming logic behind the ad campaign is
that .. well, that is part of the problem. There are no logical
explanations for legalizing marijuana or encouraging teens to engage in
sexual activity.

The crux of our problem with the ads is that neither Metro nor D.C.
transportation had the moral fortitude to reject them.

Metro sets aside 10 percent of its ad space for nonprofit organizations, a
policy that could certainly aid in combating such social ills as teen
pregnancy and homelessness. Encouraging youths and adults to break the law
on their way to having better sex - however legitimate or illicit that
"better" sex might be - wipes out all possible merit in the intent of
Metro's ad policy. This isn't even a question of First Amendment rights, as
some authorities at Metro have argued. It is a matter of giving the
advertiser and/or sponsor a straightforward answer: No.

The forces at work are obvious: people inside Metro and D.C. government who
think like people at Change the Climate.

The fact that D.C. voters approved a medical marijuana initiative
notwithstanding, the government should not be in the business of
encouraging sex or illegal drug use. Mayor Tony Williams and the Metro
Board must play their respective leadership roles on this particular issue
and pull the ads.