According to her newest Web site, political columnist and neo-leftist gadfly Arianna Huffington has had enough of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s propaganda ads that seek to tie marijuana smokers to terrorists. The ads, which have been running ad nauseam since last year’s Super Bowl, give viewers a 30-second look at how using drugs finances folks like Osama bin Laden. But instead of “reaching for the mute button,” Huffington writes on her site, she decided to turn the tables on the ONDCP with the Detroit Project, which aims to highlight the “more credible” link between gas-guzzling SUVs, the U.S. reliance on foreign oil, and the devils in U.S. foreign policy. The Detroit Project ads began running Jan. 12 during morning talk shows. According to the Drug Reform Coordination Network, four stations — WABC in New York City, WDIV in Detroit, and KABC and KCBS in Los Angeles — have refused to run the ads; WABC said their station has a policy of not running any “controversial” ads. You can see the ads at www.detroitproject.org.
This article appears in January 24 • 2003.