GOT DOPE?

Getting pot smokers out of the closet and into the mainstream is proving to
be a drag for Tracy Johnson and Jeff Jarvis.

In December, the Bend couple announced their plans to put on POTaid, a
concert in the tradition of Band Aid and Farm Aid, to raise money and
support for marijuana "normalization" (removing legal penalties and social
stigmas for responsible pot users). The concert was proposed for this
September, but so far the budding promoters haven't been able to book any
big acts or find financial backing.

"We are finding that the talent hangs on the funding, and the funding hangs
on the talent, so the clincher is getting that first big name to commit,"
says Johnson. The couple has their sights set pretty high--acts they would
like to see include Dave Matthews Band, Paul McCartney and former President
Bill Clinton (see POTaid.org for details).

Until they get one of these big names, however, they can't book either a
date or a location, leaving local concert promoters skeptical that the
couple can pull off the mega-concert they envision, at least this year.

But Johnson and Jarvis have overcome opposition before. Last summer, they
were shut out by local radio stations and The Oregonian when they tried to
run paid ads with their "We're your good neighbors. We smoke pot" message.
After the ad finally ran in the Aug. 15 WW, it drew local and national
media attention, which the couple hoped would launch a bigger campaign for
some tokin' tolerance.

In addition to POTaid, the two are putting together a TV public-service
announcement with the theme "Who do you know who smokes pot?" They've put
out a casting call for professional people who are willing to appear on
camera in conservative attire and admit they smoke pot, or at least support
those who do.

The commercial, on which shooting has not yet begun, is envisioned as a
free public-service announcement but hasn't yet been picked up by any of
the networks, despite the efforts of P'town Inc., a local advertising firm.