Reefer Madness: Not So Mad

[University of Michigan, 2006]

Smoking pot is illegal.  Committing acts of crime is immoral.  Nobody wants to be immoral, so nobody should smoke pot.  Right?  Maybe not.  Marijuana may sometimes be associated with corruption, sin, and evilness, but as Bender from The Breakfast Club states, “Being bad feels pretty good.”  Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the United States, and almost 69 million Americans over the age of twelve have tried smoking it.  With 50% of high school seniors having experienced the sensations of being high before, one might wonder how kids and teenagers are being influenced to try smoking.  Not only might peer pressure encourage a young person to smoke marijuana, but popular culture advocates it as well.  The advertisement “Devil’s Harvest” found in magazines, internet advertisements, and poster stores all over the country is a satirical piece of art that promotes the use of marijuana.

            The advertisement was found in a magazine targeted at teenagers.  The words “Devil’s Harvest” are in large, green, capitalized letters at the bottom.  Above are the words “The smoke of hell!” A cigarette labeled “marijuana” in black, capital letters outlined in green is in the center of the advertisement, and in very small letters above the cigarette are the words “The truth about…”  In the upper left-hand corner, a green creature is holding a woman with a presumably marijuana-filled cigarette in her mouth.  Smoke pouring from the large cigarette in the center reads, “A vicious racket with its arms around your children!”  Various words are placed throughout the top half of the

advertisement, including “sin,” “degradation,” “vice,” “insanity,” and “debauchery.” The background of the advertisement is black.

            “Devil’s Harvest” is the largest and most noticeable phrase in the advertisement.  Initially, one might assume that because the advertisement is terming marijuana a crop grown by the Devil, it is demoting marijuana and is therefore anti-drug propaganda.  However, the words are in quotations, implying that it is a phrase someone else has designated, is what “other” people say about the drug, and is not necessarily a reliable description .  It is also the largest text of the advertisement, making it the most important element and the first thing that catches one’s eye.  Its italicized, fun font makes the expression come off as a light-hearted nickname that is not to be taken seriously. 

THE SMOKE OF HELL! the advertisement reads.  A VICIOUS RACKET WITH ITS ARMS AROUND YOUR CHILDREN! the smoke warns.  Both of these statements end with exclamation points.  They are meant to be read with excitement, as if the smoke from hell is the only kind of smoke one would want, and that your children are actually lucky to have this pot-smoking scheme upon them.  Also, the words “The truth about…” are substantially smaller than the bold faced, capitalized, green-colored “MARIJUANA” that follows, making the “truth” seem insignificant. 

            A green creature with its arms around a young woman is in the top left-hand corner. This creature, labeled “Sin,” has its arms around a pretty, young woman with a marijuana cigarette in her mouth.   Because the woman is attractive, many people might try to emulate her by smoking marijuana.  Sin has its arms around her, she is smoking a marijuana cigarette, and she is smiling.  This suggests that being sinful by smoking

marijuana makes people happy.  The pretty woman is not fighting off Sin in any way, and is even resting her arm on his.  Sin is not looking at the woman; rather, he appears to be looking at the viewer, enticing him or her to try marijuana like the pretty, smiling woman in his arms. 

“Degradation,” “vice,” and “insanity,” read the words on Sin.  These words have a negative connotation, but because the woman is smiling and enjoying herself, and because marijuana is portrayed in an exciting fashion, the advertisement depicts these words as desirable qualities.  Being bad seems to work pretty well for the woman in the advertisement, and it could work well for everyone else, too.  The extreme negativity of the artist’s word choices also makes it hard for the viewer to take them seriously.  The idea that smoking marijuana is bad is exaggerated and emphasized to an almost ridiculous extreme, giving the advertisement a satirical quality.  It may be wrong to smoke marijuana, but does it really cause one to go insane, as the advertisement claims?  Does Sin or marijuana really have its arms wrapped around children?  Of course not, and the extremity of the disapproving words describing marijuana makes it seem as if the advertisement is poking fun at opponents of the drug.

The only colors used in the advertisement are green, white, and black.  Green is used for the title of the advertisement, the word “marijuana,” and is also the color of the “Sin” creature and of the woman’s dress.  Marijuana is green, and gives the viewer the opportunity to visualize it in his or her head, possibly as a temptation to use it.  The white and green lettering stands out effectively against the black background, as does the white smoke.

The 1950s saw teenagers rebelling through Elvis Presley.  Bob Dylan defines the seditious 1960s. Long hair, tight pants, and anti-war sentiments were all too common in the 1970s.  Each generation has had its own way of making “bad” seem “good.”   And while health experts and mothers may say that smoking marijuana is the wrong thing to do, this is precisely why teenagers all over the country are more and more willing to try it.  With advertisements such as “The Devil’s Harvest,” encouraging such behavior, what’s to stop them?