From: Jim Rosenfield <[j n r] at [igc.apc.org]>
Newsgroups: talk.politics.drugs
Date: 26 Sep 94 11:30 PDT
Subject: PDFA Misleading Spots
From: Jim Rosenfield <jnr>
KABC-TV *** via fax *** September 26, 1994
Attn: President and General Manager, Alan Nesbitt
Public Affairs Director, Theresa Samaniego
Dear friends;
Following up on my phone conversation today with Ms. Samaniego, I am
objecting to your use of the misleading "public service announcements"
created and distributed by the "Partnership for a Drug Free America".
I am enclosing a brief note from NORML (National Organization for the
Reform of Marijuana Laws) detailing their experience trying to get
cooperation from PDFA.
When I phoned their Public Affairs director, my experience was much the
same. They are evasive and will not hand out scripts of their
announcements. They equivocate about the meaning of their spots saying
"well, we did not really come out and say that marijuana is connected
with violence". But I say that any thoughtful person seeing this spot
will come to the conclusion that PDFA is trying to associate marijuana
with violence, despite the overwhelming weight of scientific literature
which clearly shows that marijuana is not associated with violence.
Presently, PDFA has out a spot showing one hispanic-looking boy handing
a joint to a younger hispanic-looking boy as though to get him
"hooked". This myth harkens back to the "Reefer Madness" films of the
thirties. This myth that marijuana is addictive has been completely
discredited in the pages of major scientific journals such as JAMA and
the New England Journal of Medicine. Why now is PDFA resurrecting this
myth? Could it have anything to do with the fact that the major
contributors to PDFA are tobacco, liquor and pharmaceutical interests?
Are they really making these spots as a public service, or are they
using the good will of the television networks to demonize a
competitive product?
I am requesting that you stop running this misleading spot.
Furthermore, I request that I be given at least 90 seconds of on-air
rebuttal time and that my rebuttal be run several times in time slots
with at least as large an audience as PDFA has received. I am also
requesting that you be very careful in the future in analyzing PDFA's
spots for truth and fairness. In 1989 they ran a spot purporting to
show brainwaves (EEG I presume) of a marijuana smoker. When challenged
on this, they tell me it was a "simulation", but refuse to show any
scientific backup for their "simulation". Unfortunately, the viewer
was never informed that this was a "simulation". Quite the opposite.
The viewer is clearly given the impression that marijuana makes your
brain inactive. This is not true, and the weight of scientific
evidence does NOT support PDFA's impressions.
Please stop participating in PDFA's lies and misleading images unless
you are going to give equal time to those who oppose these messages.
Yours truly;
Jim Rosenfield
4290 Jackson Ave., Culver City CA
tel:310-836-0926 NORML
1001 CONNECTICUT AVENUE NW
SUITE 1010
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20036
T 202-483-5500 * F 202-483-0057 * E-MAIL [NATLNOR M L] at [AOL.COM]
... a weekly service for the media on news items related to
Marijuana Prohibition.
September 22, 1994
NORML'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE WITH THE
"PARTNERSHIP FOR A DRUG-FREE AMERICA"
SPECIAL REPORT - ATTENTION: TELEVISION STATION MANAGERS
As you may know, the so-called Partnership for a Drug-Free
America boasts that it has received over one billion dollars in
free air time and ad space from America's media. Recently, many
television stations ran one of the Partnership's spots about
marijuana called "Statistics." In this ad they cited a number of
alarming statistics on how violence in America impacts young
people. For example, 60% of rape victims are under the age of
18. But the ad ends by telling the viewers (paraphrasing):
"These are the 90s, not the 60s. Tell your children the facts
about marijuana. There is no such thing as a harmless drug."
NORML called the Partnership and asked them what was the
connection between marijuana and these statistics on violence.
They replied that they had not claimed that there was any
connection. They promised to send us a story board of the spot,
but it never arrived. NORML called them back several times over
one month's time and they repeatedly promised a story board.
Finally their "public relations" officer called and flatly stated
that they do not send out story boards. The Partnership will not
send NORML even a transcript, hence the paraphrase.
... NORML calls it lying by skywriting. ... allowing no opportunity for
rebuttal. Somehow the American media are comfortable being used in
this way.