andrew
New South Wales, Australia, just launched an anti-marijuana campaign that tells teenagers that they’re “worse on weeds.”
But the campaign’s idea of using Stoner Sloth as the lead character gave netizens quite a good laugh.
[media-credit name=”business insider” link=”//www.businessinsider.com.au/even-the-nsw-premier-is-cracking-jokes-about-his-governments-anti-marijuana-campaign-2015-12″ align=”aligncenter” width=”641″]
[/media-credit]
[media-credit name=”business insider” link=”//www.businessinsider.com.au/even-the-nsw-premier-is-cracking-jokes-about-his-governments-anti-marijuana-campaign-2015-12″ align=”aligncenter” width=”639″]
[/media-credit]
[dfp1]
[media-credit name=”twitter” link=”//twitter.com/blajoh28″ align=”aligncenter” width=”642″]
[/media-credit]
[media-credit name=”daily dot” link=”//www.dailydot.com/lol/stoner-sloth-campaign-backfires/” align=”aligncenter” width=”640″]
[/media-credit]
[dfp2]
[media-credit name=”mashable” link=”//mashable.com/2015/12/18/stoner-sloth-weed-australia/#2aABAhBIg5qS” align=”aligncenter” width=”638″]
[/media-credit]
Videos and GIFs were uploaded in social media so the government campaign would go viral.
The ad was a compilation of three different stories featuring sloths under the influence of marijuana and slowly reacting to what the people around him say and do.
Based on people’s comments on the post in Stoner Sloth’s Facebook page, viewers weren’t particularly sure whether the campaign was supposed to be a joke or not. Some even criticized the creators of the clip for making such a fraudulent video.
[media-credit name=”mashable” link=”//mashable.com/2015/12/18/stoner-sloth-weed-australia/#2aABAhBIg5qS” align=”aligncenter” width=”640″]
[/media-credit]
[media-credit name=”mashable” link=”//mashable.com/2015/12/18/stoner-sloth-weed-australia/#2aABAhBIg5qS” align=”aligncenter” width=”639″]
[/media-credit]
[dfp3]
[media-credit name=”mashable” link=”//mashable.com/2015/12/18/stoner-sloth-weed-australia/#2aABAhBIg5qS” align=”aligncenter” width=”639″]
[/media-credit]
The video seems legit, though, because when it was shared in Stoner Sloth’s Tumblr page, it was credited to the New South Wales Department of Premier of Cabinet (DPC). Also, according to a WHOIS search on the domain, the DPC is the official registrant.
Cannabis is prohibited in Australia. Even though recently, some states—South Australia, Australian Capital Territory, and Northern Territory—have decriminalized minor offenses, usage, sale, growth, and possession of the plant remain illegal across the country.
It was announced by the Victorian Government, however, that cannabis will be available for use starting 2017 but only for medical purposes.
[dfp4]
