Advocates and Advertisers

There are many conservative and religious areas of Canada where discussing sex is still taboo. To the people there, the word ‘marijuana’ reminds them of DARE assemblies in school.  Many do not drink alcohol; some don’t even drink coffee. The combination of sex with pot just feeds right into the views of these non-consuming conservative voters, making legalization of the plant way more difficult. Conservative anti-drug ads are more appealing to conservative Jane and Joe Canada.

For some this should be a non-concern, a non-issue: why are we asking what people do in their bedrooms or what they read? We live in a free country. But to the soccer mom that must hide her sexuality, as well as her bong, in her closet or to the religious couple that hides their alternative lifestyle choices from everyone, it matters. And it matters to people that still listen to their conservative parents about whom to vote for, without considering the why. These are people that won’t vote for legalization of sexualised pot use.

Marijuana is beneficial in so many ways to so many people. Patients need this plant as medicine, even the courts are recognising this and recovering patients’ rights to grow their own medication and to medicate in hospitals.  However, while advocates promote marijuana as a health benefit to the mainstream—medicine for epilepsy, alongside chemotherapy for cancer, extracts for childhood epilepsy, and all kinds of other things—stores, magazines, and books all advertise, in and to the mainstream, with sex.

Child pornography, human trafficking, and missing and exploited women are major crimes in Canada that are linked to gang activity. And anti-drug ads link this violence to all drugs! How can a non-user accept the sex angle of pot advertising on top of that? To conservative people this is distasteful, immoral, and against everything they have been taught. These are also people that will vote on the topic of legalisation.

There is no blaming cannabis for any of this, this has been going on since long before the bong was thrown in there. But pinup girls weren’t meaning to change laws or convince politicians to fund medical marijuana research. Remember at voting time who must be appealed to in order to finally repeal ridiculous laws and end prohibition.

Voting is a start and votes won’t be gained from showing conservative Canada a girl in a bikini with a bong.

Sex and Reefer Part One