Teen spliff smokers told cannabis messes with your mind

by Ben Bold, Brand Republic 16-Feb-09, 09:00

LONDON - The government is telling 11-14 year-olds that cannabis can seriously mess with their minds in a £2m ad campaign that follows closely on the heels of reclassification of the drug from class C to class B.

The £2.2m multimedia campaign, which has been developed by the government's drugs advice service, Frank, and ad agency Mother, features a teenager called Simon, whose initial euphoric experiences while high on cannabis deteriorate into some of the negative side effects associated with the drug, including paranoia, panic attacks and memory loss.

Chris Hudson, a spokesman for Frank, said: "Cannabis is the most commonly used illegal drug in Britain and binge smoking to achieve maximum effect may be putting people's mental health in serious danger."

In the TV ad, teenager Simon is seen skinning up and then smoking a joint in a ramshackle living room. As the effects kick in, he opens the door to a crowd of doppledanger Simons -- each of whom has a neon sign hanging above his head denoting states such "giggles", "munchies", "talkative" and "happy".

However, the crowd of chirpy Simons is subsequently joined by a more sinister bunch, bearing signs including: "paranoia", "memory loss" and "panic attacks", and the various Simons are soon clashing with one another as Simon's mental state worsens.

The ad proclaims: "The more you mess with cannabis, the more it messes with your mind.

Cannabis was reclassified from a class C to class B narcotic last month, when the home secretary overruled the advice of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which had advised that it remain class C.

Consequently, convictions for possession now carry heavier fines.