Ad Asks for Leniency for Marijuana Offenses in New Mexico

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws has paid $50,000 for a radio ad and accompanying print ads calling for the relaxation of marijuana laws in New Mexico. Produced by Zimmerman-Markman, the radio ad was released Tuesday and will play more than "600 times in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe markets on nearly a dozen radio stations." New Mexico has become a "battlefield for marijuana legalization" since Gov. Gary Johnson's (R) recently proposed advocating the decriminalization of marijuana for personal use. Titled "Secret," the ad announces, "Seventy-six million Americans share a secret. Sometime in their lives, they've smoked marijuana. Almost every one of them is an otherwise law-abiding citizen. ... Unfortunately, in New Mexico more than 3,000 of these people were arrested last year. Some are in jail, some lost their jobs -- for smoking marijuana. That wastes millions of tax dollars that should be spent arresting violent criminals. And in New Mexico, even though marijuana could help cancer and AIDS patients, doctors can't prescribe it." The ad concludes, "There's a better way. In 10 states, from Nebraska to North Carolina, marijuana smokers are not arrested. Nine states now allow the use of medical marijuana. Isn't that what we should be doing in New Mexico?" To view the ad, enter http://video.cloakroom.com/2001archive/01/0117norml1.rm into your Web browser (Samuels, National Journal Ad Spotlight, 1/18).