New Approach Washington Launches Fall TV Ad Campaign

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New Approach Washington
Former U.S. Attorney John McKay is among the sponsors of a drive to legalize marijuana for adults in Washington state.

Marijuana ‘Legalization’ Effort Features Former U.S. Attorneys and F.B.I. Special Agent in Charge 
New Approach Washington, the committee backing Washington state’s “legalization” ballot measure Initiative 502, will launch its fall media campaign on Thursday, October 11. The campaign will feature two 30-second ads that will air on broadcast and cable television throughout western Washington and Spokane.
“An overwhelming majority of Washington citizens agree that treating marijuana use as a crime has failed,” said Alison Holcomb, campaign director for New Approach Washington.  “Initiative 502, endorsed by law enforcement, public health doctors, and prevention and treatment experts, is a carefully considered, responsible approach to changing course.  We can do better, and our communities deserve it.”


New Approach Washington
Non-threatening suburbanite Kate Pippinger: “I don’t like it personally, but it’s time for a conversation about legalizing marijuana”

The ads are an obvious attempt to appeal to what NAW must see as the “mainstream,” i.e., people who are “against marijuana legalization.” This is clear from the fact that of three ads, two feature law enforcement personnel and one features Kate Pippinger, a suburban-housewife type who wastes no time, beginning her pro-502 pitch with the declaration, “I don’t like it personally, but it’s time for a conversation about legalizing marijuana.”
Such a transparent vista of NAW’s viewpoint — that they are promoting something that suburban Washington “doesn’t like,” in fact, something so bad that law enforcement personnel have to tell them it’s OK to vote for it — is a revealing look, at least at the “self-loathing” or “apologetic” segment of the cannabis community.

Anthony Martinelli
Anthony Martinelli, Sensible Washington: “The only revenue the state is likely to see from this initiative will come directly from the unethical new per se DUID provision”

“These advertisements have a couple things correct — legalizing and regulating cannabis would deal a huge blow to criminal syndicates across the country, and would bring in a wealth of new tax revenue,” Sensible Washington’s Anthony Martinelli told Toke of the Town Wednesday afternoon. “That said, it’s ridiculous to state that Initiative 502 would accomplish this.
“I-502 would ‘legalize’ the possession of an ounce, while retaining the complete illegality of home-growing, and mandating an absurd distribution system that our government clearly won’t allow, as it retains cannabis as a Schedule I drug next to heroin under even state law,” Martinelli told us. “Recreational consumers will be forced to the same black-market I-502 is trying to defeat in order to purchase their ‘legal’ ounce.
“We’ll never see any of the mentioned tax revenue,” Martinelli said. “The only revenue the state is likely to see from this initiative will come directly from the unethical new per se DUID provision.”
Do New Approach Washington’s new TV ads go too far to appease the non-toking or non-sympathetic portion of the population, much as does I-502 itself, what with its ridiculous and indefensible cannabis DUI provision of just 5 ng/ml active THC in the blood? Perhaps not, since 502 is running ahead in the polls; however, the only poll which counts is the one on Election Day in November.
The ads will premiere Thursday during early morning news shows (5-6 AM) on the major broadcast stations in the Seattle and Spokane regions, and on MSNBC and CNN’s early morning news shows (5-9 AM) in the Vancouver and Longview areas.
The ads may be previewed at www.newapproachwa.org.
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