Marijuana Moment: Virginia Marijuana PSA Pulled Over ‘Concerns’ That Its Focus On Relaxation Didn’t Send ‘Clear Message’ About Impaired Driving Risks

[Tokeativity]

Virginia officials withdrew a new ad campaign aimed at discouraging marijuana impaired driving over “concerns” that it missed the mark, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) told Marijuana Moment.

The public education campaign featured a 30-second ad that effectively served as an advertisement for marijuana’s relaxation-enhancing effects—telling viewers that “if you get high to relax…relax” and showing various actors engaging in activities at home such as taking a bubble bath, watching a nature documentary, gardening and eating large amounts of take-out food.

The idea was to encourage people who are high on cannabis to stay in and relax rather than get behind the wheel of a car and drive while impaired—but the video and an accompanying press release were deleted shortly after being launched, without public explanation.

Marijuana Moment reached out to state officials to find out why the spot was pulled.

“Virginia DMV wants to make sure Virginians receive a clear message about the serious risks of driving while impaired,” Camila Barco, a public relations and media liaison at DMV said in an email. “As we launched our first cannabis-impaired driving campaign, we received some concerns about how the message was presented.”

“We take those concerns seriously and have paused the campaign while we take another look at our approach,” she said.

Marijuana Moment followed up to ask who had expressed “concerns” about the ad, but didn’t immediately receive a reply.

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Some marijuana reform advocates are questioning DMV’s decision to take the ad down.

“Virginians deserve honest communication about cannabis,” JM Pedini, development director for the advocacy group NORML and executive director for Virginia NORML, told Marijuana Moment. “The DMV’s latest ad offered the right advice—don’t get behind the wheel if you’re high. There’s no need to overcomplicate that message, and they didn’t.”

DMV had said in a now-deleted press release that “through a lighthearted and relatable message, the campaign reminds drivers that cannabis impairment can affect their ability to drive safely and that the best place to unwind is at home, not behind the wheel.”

“DMV’s message is clear: driving is stressful and requires your full attention. Being high makes it harder to react, stay in your lane and handle the unexpected,” it said. “So, if you use cannabis to unwind, do yourself—and everyone else on the road—a favor: stay put…and relaxxxxx.”

The new campaign was scheduled to air statewide from August 10 to September 7, including on TV, social and digital media, billboards and radio, according to the press release. There was also set to be a plane flown over concert venues displaying a banner reminding people not to drive while high.

Meanwhile, Virginia lawmakers this year enacted legislation to legalize recreational marijuana sales after Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) suggested amendments to, and then ultimately vetoed, a previous version of the proposal.

A coalition of hemp businesses are suing state officials over provisions of the legislation that will impose restrictions on the products they produce and sell.

Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan.

The post Virginia Marijuana PSA Pulled Over ‘Concerns’ That Its Focus On Relaxation Didn’t Send ‘Clear Message’ About Impaired Driving Risks appeared first on Marijuana Moment.

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