Pro-marijuana advertisements plastered on the side of buses in Portland, Maine have been met with controversy and disapproval from some citizens of the area.
In the ads, marijuana is promoted as "less harmful" than alcohol, the New York Daily News reported. Everyday people from various age groups are pictured next to slogans touting weed as a good thing. Locals started seeing the advertisements on buses and bus shelters on Wednesday, and many anti-drug activists were not happy with the positive spin that the organization funding the campaign put on pot.
"It's highly inappropriate to be promoting pro-marijuana messages in a place that has a large audience of people under the age of 21," spokesperson for drug prevention body 21 Reasons told WCSH News.
Voters will weigh in on whether Maine should legalize recreational marijuana use Nov. 5. The Marijuana Police Project bought around $2,500 worth of ad space to help pass the initiative, named Question 1.
According to communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project Mason Tvert, the measure might just make it.
"It has a very, very good chance," Tvert told the Daily News.
In one advertisement, an image of a middle aged man is seen next to the message, "I prefer marijuana over alcohol because it's less toxic, so there's no hangover. Why should I be punished?"
"I prefer marijuana over alcohol because it's less harmful to my body," another ad reads, accompanied by a photo of a woman with greying hair, smiling slightly.
Although residents have lodged formal complaints to Portland's public bus service METRO, the advertisements will stay on buses until Election Day. Marijuana Policy Project officials told the Daily News that the ads were a form of political advertising, and don't go against any rules of the election.
"If we're going to allow one type of political advertising, we have to allow it all," METRO General Manager Gregory Jordan reported.
But for 21 Reasons, these advertisements could create dangerous issues for young people.
"If we do not ban such promotions, we will see a significant increase in marijuana marketing and promotion," the group released in a statement.
This past July, a scientist released research results indicating that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol on both social and health-related levels.
"Cannabis is not without harm, but it's substantially less than alcohol and tobacco in terms of social harm," director of Australia's Center for Alcohol Policy Research Robin Room stated, adding that alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana because it often leads to aggression, physical harm and a marked impact on family and work life.
Experts are still largely divided on the issue of whether marijuana is more harmful than alcohol, and no definitive statements have been backed by both supporters and opponents of the issue.
