Pro-Marijuana Ad, Finally Uncensored, Airs in Times Square

by Te-Ping Chen · 2010-03-11 16:04:00 UTC
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Need an excuse to road trip to New York City? For drug reform aficionados, here's one good reason to plot your itinerary: now that CBS has caved and agreed to run a pro-marijuana ad in Times Square, the once-censored billboard will debut next week.

In case you missed the story, here's a little background. This January, NORML and CBS inked an agreement to run a pro-marijuana ad starting Feb. 1 on the network's digital billboard on 42nd Street. But after the ad was produced and shortly before it was scheduled to air, CBS got cold feet and declared it wouldn't run, after all.

The reason? Too "political" -- even though CBS had felt no qualms about running an anti-abortion ad during this year's Super Bowl, a move that erupted in widespread controversy. Somehow, though, NORML's message of choice, delivered in just 15 seconds -- "Legalize Marijuana – Billions in Taxes" -- was judged too threatening.

Maybe too threatening to CBS, but not to the 53% of Americans who now support legally regulating the drug. Given the possible $30 billion in new tax revenue that marijuana regulation could furnish, it's not surprising that all voters aren't as easily made skittish by the same anti-drug hysteria.

In either case, judge for yourself:

In a blog post today, NORML Foundation Executive Director Allen St. Pierre wrote, "NORML would publicly like to thank Change.org for taking on this important political and First Amendment issue." Likewise, thanks to the nearly 10,000 Change.org readers who made themselves heard on the subject -- we couldn't have moved anything on this issue without you.

So go ahead and treat yourself to a Chinatown bus or train to NYC and make a stop by Times Square. The ad will be running there until May 31, and you won't lack for company. Approximately 1.5 million people walk by the billboard every day.

Photo Credit: mossaiq

Te-Ping Chen Te-Ping Chen is a freelance writer and U.S. Truman Scholar whose writing has appeared in the Nation Magazine, the South China Morning Post magazine, Le Soir, and Slate.com.
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