The fallout from the NSW State Government‘s drastically ill-conceived ‘Stoner Sloth’ commercials – aka the reason that everyone you know is saying “pass the salt” – continues, with a national cannabis body set to request that its name be taken off the material.
In the launch material for the campaign, the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet and NSW Health claimed that it was “informed by research conducted by the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre.”
The exact nature of that research, and whether or not it relates to the passing of condiments, is unclear, but the group are so keen to distance themselves from the misbegotten ad campaign that they plan on asking for an official retraction.
NCPIC director Jan Copeland made a statement to Fairfax, saying that :
“They have used our name to cover this campaign …We are going to ask them to print a retraction that it is based on work that we did. NCPIC was not consulted on any of the creative elements of this campaign.”
Copeland claimed not to have seen or heard of the campaign, designed specifically to be shareable by young people, until contacted by media, and added that it could have the unintended effect of conveying the “positive appeal” of drugs.
The fact that there are already ‘Stoner Sloth’ t-shirts for sale would appear to support that theory.
Premier Mike Baird, who can tell which way the wind is blowing, has distanced himself from the ads, and has been mocking them on social media.
I’ve been assured no sloths were harmed in the making of those #StonerSloth ads.
— Mike Baird (@mikebairdMP) December 19, 2015
You really Delilah’d this one, NSW State Government.
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Photo: NSW State Government
