GOOD RIDDANCE TO SEX-AND-MARIJUANA ADS

As the ninth month draws to a close, so does the run of a stunningly
foolish ad. The advertiser is a nonprofit group called Change the Climate
Inc. The organization wants a reassessment of marijuana penalties and
attitudes in the United States.

Fair enough -- bringing more light to controversial issues is always better
than bringing less. But to generate that light, Change the Climate has
given us the ad pictured at right. It has been running on Metrobuses and
Metrobus shelters all this month.

In case you left your specs upstairs, that is indeed a photo of a young,
apparently amorous couple. Those are indeed the bare legs of a fetching
woman, in plain view. The over line "Enjoy Better Sex!" leaves exactly zero
dots unconnected.

But wait a minute -- why imply that you can enjoy better sex if you ingest
more marijuana? There's no clear proof of this. In fact, many reputable
studies argue just the opposite. Even the Change the Climate Web site gives
no solid evidence of a connection.

Could the ads be a shrieky grab for our attention, regardless of whether
sex has any relevance to drug policies? It sure seems that way.

Interestingly, the sex-and-pot ad campaign seems to have laid an egg in one
important way. Ron Rydstrom, Metro's assistant manager for market
development, said he has had no complaints about it. That tells me that the
ad is rolling right off people's backs -- not what you want an ad to do.

Maybe Metrobus patrons are too engrossed in Bob Levey's Washington to care
about thighs or dope (dream on, Robare). Or maybe Joe White, the founder of
Change the Climate, is right when he says "the feedback [from the ad] has
certainly been great."

Regardless, Metro's policies may be odder than Change the Climate's.
According to Ron Rydstrom, Metro accepted this ad as a public service. You
know, the same way Metro accepts ads for the United Way, Easter Seals and
Santa Claus.

In what way is a pair of sexy legs and an inane slogan a public service?
Rydstrom said Metro will accept any public service announcement that
doesn't show "an illegal act."

We could spin our wheels for a long time about whether Metro should have
applied this standard to a PSA from a group that opposes partial-birth
abortions. The ad showed a fetus after it had been aborted. It didn't make
breakfast sit well. Metro said yes, then flipped and said no.

Metro has always argued that its advertisers deserve First Amendment
protection, even for breakfast-threatening points of view. No one cheers
this policy louder than Yours Truly. Metro should be a transit organization
- -- not a censor, not a tribunal, not a literary critic.

But since when did Metro park its common sense in the train yard? The
"Better Sex" ad is ridiculous and potentially dangerous.

It may induce people (especially kids) to try marijuana, in hopes of
supercharging their sex lives. As Change the Climate notes, thousands are
doing time in U.S. jails for pot possession. Wouldn't it be a pity if this
ad boosted those totals?

Metro needs to exercise the same sort of judgment it employed during the
partial-birth abortion controversy. It should say no to ads that are
designed to shock, rather than illuminate a point of view. The First
Amendment doesn't require Metro to hide its head in the sand.

And if that ad isn't enough to make you wonder. . .