Politics
Virginia Officials’ PSA On Impaired Driving Highlights Marijuana’s Relaxation-Enhancing Abilities
A new public education campaign launched—and then quickly deleted—by Virginia state officials that aimed to discourage marijuana-impaired driving appeared to effectively serve as a commercial advertising the relaxation-enhancing effects of cannabis.
The new 30-second spot from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles featured minimal narration, simply telling viewers that “if you get high to relax…relax.”
Actors were shown on screen engaging in a variety of relaxing and enjoyable activities, such as watching a nature documentary while snacking, taking a soothing bubble bath and tending to plants in a backyard garden.
A couple was also shown digging into a huge haul of Chinese take-out food.
On-screen text at the end of the ad said, “Don’t drive.”
“Through a lighthearted and relatable message, the campaign reminds drivers that cannabis impairment can affect their ability to drive safely and that the best place to unwind is at home, not behind the wheel,” DMV said in a now-deleted press release on the department’s website about the new effort.
“DMV’s message is clear: driving is stressful and requires your full attention. Being high makes it harder to react, stay in your lane and handle the unexpected,” it said. “So, if you use cannabis to unwind, do yourself—and everyone else on the road—a favor: stay put…and relaxxxxx.”
The campaign was based on research finding that most people who use marijuana do so to relax, the department said. A focus group showed that the concept, developed by DMV’s Highway Safety Office and its creative partner Two Tango Collaborative, “resonated with the target audience before beginning production” of the ad.
“Impaired driving is illegal and dangerous, no matter the substance,” DMV Commissioner Saundra M. Jack said. “We want everyone to travel safely. If you use cannabis, please don’t drive.”
DMV suggested that people who are under the influence of cannabis use rideshare services or call sober friends to drive them.
The new campaign was scheduled to air statewide from August 10 to September 7, including on TV, social and digital media, billboards and radio, according to the press release. There was also set to be a plane flown over concert venues displaying a banner reminding people not to drive while high.
The DMV’s official YouTube upload of the video has now been deleted for reasons that are unclear, but a version that was posted to Instagram by The DMV Daily, which tracks local news in Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia, remains available.
A LinkedIn post about the ad from Brandy Brubaker, the director of the Virginia Highway Safety Office, was also deleted.
Marijuana Moment reached out to DMV for more information but a representative was not immediately available.
Meanwhile, Virginia lawmakers this year enacted legislation to legalize recreational marijuana sales after Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) suggested amendments to, and then ultimately vetoed, a previous version of the proposal.
A coalition of hemp businesses are suing state officials over provisions of the legislation that will impose restrictions on the products they produce and sell.
