Using marijuana is legal in some form in 30 states. Now, many companies and individuals are trying to show that pot isn’t for “stoners” only.
Frustrated with Stereotypes
Michelle Janikian, a journalist who focuses on marijuana, says that she constantly has to act “friendly and mainstream” so that people don’t form a low opinion of her. Likewise, Adam Salcido says that he had to reassure his family that he wasn’t going to become an addict when he went to work for a public relations firm that focuses on weed.
Reversing Public Opinion
MedMen is leading the “anti-stoner offensive” with a $2 million ad campaign. The company runs a chain of stores that they’ve called the “Apple of pot shops.” Now, they’re trying to show that smoking pot isn’t just for people who live in their parents’ basements, play video games all day and only emerge when they get the munchies.
The company has stores from LA to New York. In each location and on the web, it’s running ads that show photographs of 17 people. These people include a white-haired grandmother, a business executive, a schoolteacher, a nurse and a former NFL player. Beside each picture is the word “stoner” crossed out and a prominent description of who they are.
