That will just change to the next-most-popular drug.

The voiceover guy is an entitled prick living in SoCal, stealing water from the Colorado River.

I hope you live on the west side of the continental divide Jason, casue as much water as SoCal wastes, they have more right to it than those in colorado living on the east side of the continental divide

Jason, he probably lives in New York, where most of the commercials were made back then and where most of the VO actors live because most of the work is there. I recognize the voice, either because he's a famous actor or because he's a well-known (to producers) voiceover actor, and I used to produce commercials (right when I got out of college) for Ogilvy & Mather, New York.

I recorded, among others, Eartha Kitt, Barbara Feldon, Christine Baranski, Harry Goz (dead now but character actor who appeared in Woody Allen movies, etc.), Alan Kalter (Letterman announcer), and Steve Buscemi. I nearly killed Eartha Kitt (or she thought so, anyway) driving her to a recording in Manchester, England, when the roads were empty early in the morning and I got on the right side. She was really cool, though. Told me a story of how Beverly Hills took away her goats and chickens and she read the law, found out they were in the wrong, and made the city manager take her downtown and buy her new ones. I like to think he had to carry them back to her house in his car, but I don't remember, and that probably wasn't the case.

Eartha Kitt- one of the most beautiful women ever.

I've always had a thing for black women, but I grew up watching Eeartha Kitt, Lena Horne, Dianne Carol, Nichelle Nichols (Uhura), Gail Fisher (Mannix), and one of my all time favorite beautiful women Pam Grier.

Says you! I love cheesy commercials about drugs. My fav is the one with egg

Antonio Sabato Jr. went on Dr. Phil to whine about how parents with minors at home should not be allowed to sell LEGAL cannabis from their homes. In CA I think.

Rationale: his ex-GF and baby mama does so and told his teen daughter there's pot for good people and for bad people and Tony used to do drugs and his daughter will be confused. His opponent was a very assertive woman who advocates for the legal pot industry and doesn't care for the nanny state concept.

I think ASJ came across as a tool who needs another 15 minutes of fame but he seemed to have like thinkers in the audience. I don't recall that Phil took a side.

Legalize Chiba? Fine. Not my style (if I could do a drug without worrying about addiction and health effects, it'd be coke. But whatever).

Done with the ads? Whew. Good.

But while I don't care if they legalize weed, I really can't stand stoners.

But while I don't care if they legalize weed, I really can't stand stoners.

Posted by: MBerg at October 26, 2013 3:58 PM

I don't care for alcoholics much either as I have a family member moving down that path.

That doesn't mean I am naive enough to believe prohibition of either drugs or alcohol is a solution.

"...as much water as SoCal wastes, they have more right to it..."

I'd like to hear how you come to that conclusion. SoCal overbuilds on oceanfront desert, and that poor judgment gives them a "right"? It reminds me of the outcry years ago when, somehow, farmers were to blame for water shortages in SoCal. Hello? California leads the nation or is near the top in several categories of agricultural production. Is washing cars more important than that? (I know it's not that simple.)

-----

But about the drug ad: the thing I think most people miss and it might be why some people hate it) is that the "I learned it from YOU!" ad showed us what drug users do.

Drug users lie.

They lie constantly. To parents, kids, coworkers and themselves. For several drugs, they also cannot do anything but lie to police, cementing the us-vs-them mentality that pervades the nation. A drug user cannot call police to their home for assistance with problems for fear of arrest. In some cases, a simple query for directions is an invitation to arrest for impairment due to the aforementioned "us-vs-them" dichotomy.

But don't miss the lying. It's not about the effects of drugs, or the legality of same. You may notice that alcoholics lie about their drug of choice. It's right now, and no, it's not noble in any way, regardless of what you think of current law. If you can't show a positive ROI on establishing the legality of a drug, check your position. You may be lying about your cause.

There's not a crackhead on the planet who wishes crack was harder to get. That's whose side you're on if you want to legalize cocaine, for instance. Like the company?

Hah, cool beans Amy.

Harry Goz - For some of us younger folks, that would be, Captain Hazel "Hank" Murphy from Sealab 2021:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcI8izSslic

To parents, kids, coworkers and themselves. For several drugs, they also cannot do anything but lie to police, cementing the us-vs-them mentality that pervades the nation. A drug user cannot call police to their home for assistance with problems for fear of arrest. In some cases, a simple query for directions is an invitation to arrest for impairment due to the aforementioned "us-vs-them" dichotomy. -- Radwaste at October 27, 2013 1:40 AM

And not legalizing drugs means it will stop drug users from lying? Rolling back prohibition didn't stop alcoholics from lying. It just took away a lot of the legal issues.

And as much as I hate government regulation if they revised the law so that the manufacturer or grower was required to dump 25% of profits (not tax deductible) into funding treatment programs most people could walk in and get free treatment. Those who don't or won't can be supported by their families or friends. But SSDI and the rest of government support is off the table at the federal level.

But prohibition is failing for the simple fact that we do have crackheads, coke heads, stoners, heroin addicts, ecstasy, and every illegal drug. That doesn't even cover the Vicodin/Hydrocodone abusers of prescription drugs. Look at the issues Amy has had getting her Adderall because of the war on drugs. Making something illegal does not stop it from happening.

Should this woman go to jail for buying sudafed? (meridianstar.com/local/x318441148/Woman-decongestant-brought-meth-charge-in-Alabama)

This is the results of the war on drugs. Do you think it's right? What about the property seizures? What about the thousands of people in prisons, at taxpayer expense, for having an ounce of pot?

So the addicts fucking lie. So do gamblers an many others. Look at the List of twelve-step groups (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_twelve-step_groups). Want to take a guess how many of those people lie?

So using that as justification is just as weak as the one from the Imagine If The Drug War Were A War On Table Salt[1]

Why is it that you do not recognize that drug users DO NOT behave responsibly?

I'm not saying that they do behave responsibly. Just as the person texting while driving, the truck driver that scams the his time sheets, the person who is forging checks on the fissile tanks.

It is not the drugs. It is not the guns. It is not the roulette table. It is not the law or regulation. It is the person doing the action.

I will agree that some of it is the culture the person is surrounded by. But unless you can get somewhere around a 90% disapproval rate it doesn't work.

I lived off-base in South Korea for about 20 months of my total three years there. In that time I saw very little drug abuse. At the same time I (or a Korean citizen) could walk into any pharmacy and buy codiene OTC without any real question. The abuse rate was miniscule.

[1] -- www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/10/24/imagine_if_the_1.html#comments

Bottom line is: Drug use (on average) is not the same as drug ABUSE. Same as alcohol.

Though some would argue that while there's such a thing as safe drinking, there's no such thing as safe smoking (tobacco, that is).

Reminds me of the Barney Miller episode (1980 or earlier):

http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/twelvestepsoulfood4thespirit/conversations/topics/29371

Excerpt:

The guy trying to quit smoking has been going on and on about how hard it is to quit, and how the heroin addict just can't imagine how hard it is and how he "just can't understand!!" The junkie looks at him in agonized disbelief and says (almost in tears because he's obviously in need of a fix): "Hey, bud! I'm A HEROIN ADDICT!!" to which the new ex-smoker says: "Oh, suuuuurre. It's easy for YOU to say!"