5 Outrageous Anti-Drug Videos: A Retrospective

Anti-drug propaganda has existed in the United States for decades, dating back to the 1936 film Reefer Madness and possibly earlier. In the early 1980s, the launch of the DARE program reignited anti-drug sentiment, and in 1986 former President Ronald Reagan signed the Drug Abuse Act into law, introducing a mandatory minimum sentence for drug offenses. At the same time, a plethora of ads aimed at discouraging children and adults from using drugs surfaced throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

If you grew up during that era, you probably remember a series of ads that were ridiculous in tone: videos featuring fried eggs, sloths, Pee-wee Herman, Mr. T, Clint Eastwood and more were used to get the attention of the public Exciting and instilling fear in people rather than giving educational value to the drugs themselves.

While these videos have successfully captured our attention by eliciting ironic laughter or winks, they also serve as a reminder of how absurd the war on drugs and anti-drug messages were. The anti-drug videos of this era tended to brand all substances and the people who use them as evil, ignoring the larger societal problems of drug addiction, poverty and class inequality, to name a few.

The war on drugs is still wreaking havoc today. Although research shows that black and white Americans use weed roughly equally, blacks are almost four times more likely to be arrested for cannabis than whites, and in some states as many as seven or eight times. At least one aide to former President Nixon — who started the War on Drugs in the 1970s — has said that the Drug War was designed to oppress black Americans, not necessarily curb drug use.

While these videos can be nostalgic and funny in their silly exaggerations, they’re also relics of an old tale that all drugs are bad, that one-shot will get you hooked, and that you’ll waste your life doing it.

Times have changed and we have new evidence to refute that message, especially as more states legalize cannabis and psychedelics like psilocybin. Watching these videos reminds us how far we have come in the last decade in the perception of drug use.

Related

The History of Cannabis Prohibition in the United States

This is your brain on drugs

The classic anti-drug ad, This Is Your Brain on Drugs, was published in 1987. A sizzling egg is meant to simulate your post-drug brain and serves as a dramatic metaphor to scare people away from all substances. YouTuber WigWoo1 perhaps puts it best in the comments: “You’re telling me drugs turn my brain into a delicious part of a balanced breakfast?”

Despite the convoluted metaphor, the ad became so emblematic of the anti-drug movement that it spawned a sequel ten years later, starring then-unknown actress Rachael Leigh Cook. The spot focuses on heroin and takes it a step further when Cook smashes an entire kitchen with a frying pan.

In 2017, Cook partnered with the Drug Policy Alliance, an agency dedicated to solving and ending the drug war, for another video titled “This is your brain on Drug Policy.” Marking a shift in thinking, the video is a commentary on the futility of the war on drugs and how it is targeting people of color for mass incarceration, ruining lives and communities as a result.

Clint Eastwood and Nancy Reagan: The Thrill Can Kill/Just Say No

Another classic anti-drug ad, this video epitomizes the scaremongering of the war on drugs and its harmful effects. The 1987 ad, which recruited Dirty Harry himself, addressed fears of the crack epidemic, which was particularly devastating for the black community in the United States, leading to mass incarcerations.

In this version of the video, Nancy Reagan, the former President’s wife, shows up to announce the launch of a promotional campaign for the video and other similar videos in theaters across the country. “Say no to drugs and yes to life,” she says, driving the Just Say No campaign she started in the early ’80s and fueling the resurgence of the War on Drugs.

Confusingly, the ad was followed four years later by a similar one starring Pee-wee Herman, a possible attempt to reach children.

Related

Deletion: what does it mean and how do I get one?

Stoner Sloth: You’re worse on weed

This trio of Australian commercials focuses on weed, telling viewers that the plant turns everyone into slow-moving, mindless zombies who forget everything. (Side note: these cartoons actually move pretty fast for sloths.)

These ads are a good example of just how much hyperbole there is in anti-drug propaganda: you’d have to smoke some incredibly strong stuff to mistake lettuce for salt, like sloth Jason does in the second video. Weed may slow you down a bit, but the creators seem to have no idea of ​​the actual effects of weed.

The sad music adds to the exaggeration (and humor) of the ads, and the campaign even tries to go viral by promoting the hashtag “#stonersloth.” And it should go without saying that shaming someone for having a drug problem is not the right way to handle the situation.

Talking Dog: How would you tell a friend?

Another example of “they must have smoked some pretty strong stuff,” this ad features a dog telling its owner to stop smoking weed so they can play outside together more often. The creators are trying to tease us with the cute little dog, but the ad seems confused — it’s ridiculous for suggesting you have to be high enough to believe your dog can talk to you… so your dog can talk to you can say that you smoke too much.

A popular spoof of the ad ends with the person calling their dealer to buy more weed—the stuff he’s smoking must be so good since a dog is talking to him.

Flat person: We used to have so much fun together

To take the term couch lock to the next level, I’ll pass it on to the folks at Above the Influence — the image of the flat person on the couch is disturbing and sticks in your head. The ad is yet another exaggeration of the relaxing effects of weed, a hallmark of anti-drug ads. (We argue that some types of pot can actually make you funnier and more energetic.)

Today we know that different strains have different effects on individuals, and each person’s body chemistry interacts with weed in unique ways. It can help with multiple conditions including stress and anxiety, depression, ADHD and more.

Related

How cannabis can help with stress and anxiety

recognitions

Here are some more classic anti-drug ads you may remember from the past.

Mr. T: Not or otherwise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJiTxtcW-ist

I learned by watching you

Ignore a friend’s problem

glob

David Hasselhoff and Kit: Don’t mess with them

Pat Goggins

Pat Goggins is a senior content editor at Leafly, specializing in cannabis cultivation after working for a commercial grower in Oregon. When you’re not correcting typos, chances are you’ll find him on a boat or in the mountains.

Check out Pat Goggins’ articles

By submitting this form, you are subscribing to Leafly news and promotional emails and agreeing to Leafly’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email communications at any time.