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 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.