A cool-looking cheetah smoking a joint while driving is apparently how one federal agency decided to get out the word about the dangers of getting behind the wheel after consuming marijuana. People are understandably a little confused about the messaging.<\/p>\n
While advocates and prohibitionists alike share an interest in preventing impaired driving, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) PSA has left some wondering why, of all potential stand-ins for an impaired driver, it went with an animated Tanzanian cheetah.<\/p>\n
\nDon\u2019t be like cheetah. #DriveHighGetADUI<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 nhtsagov (@NHTSAgov) December 1, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
The world\u2019s fastest land animal hardly fits the stereotype of a cannabis consumer that the government has historically played into. And as some Twitter users pointed out, the ad makes the cheetah look confusingly cool as he\u2019s breaking the law.<\/p>\n
\nI don\u2019t even smoke weed or drive, but this made me want to.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Faux (@Fauxvoid) December 18, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
\nWhy did they make the cheetah so cool?<\/p>\n
\u2014 the_millenial_falcon (@themillenialfa1) December 22, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
\nThat cheetah looks cool as fuck<\/p>\n
\u2014 The Don (@lowrey_drew) December 29, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
\u201cThe Tanzanian cheetah is known for its speed and agility, not its common sense,\u201d the narrator in the federal ad says. \u201cHere we see the Tanzanian cheetah driving high. Now he\u2019s getting a DUI from the cheetah police, will have to pay up to 10,000 Cheetah dollars and will probably end up in cheetah jail.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThe spot, which was released last year but is being recirculated this season through promoted Twitter posts, is just one example of the government having the right intention\u2014deterring driving while high\u2014but delivering that message in a way that invites some creative criticism.<\/p>\n
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), for example, published a guide for parents this month<\/a> that it says identifies the emojis most commonly used by young people to talk about buying and selling illicit drugs. Not everyone is convinced that it provides the most accurate overview on the topic, however.<\/p>\n
Also last year, NHTSA and the Ad Council teamed up with Vox Creative for another ad that essentially told consumers that they shouldn\u2019t drive while impaired even if they\u2019re being chased by a psychopathic axe murderer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
As NHTSA works to get out the word<\/a> about impaired driving, President Joe Biden\u2019s nominee to run the agency recently faced questions at a Senate committee confirmation hearing about developing a\u00a0federal cannabis impairment standard<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) pointed out that NHTSA hasn\u2019t released an updated report on cannabis and driving since 2017, and he asked the nominee, Steven Cliff, if he\u2019d commit to working with lawmakers to \u201cdevelop a federal marijuana impaired driving standard so that we can have something as a national standard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely. If I\u2019m confirmed, I look forward to working with this committee on impaired driving and, in particular, the marijuana issue that you mentioned,\u201d Cliff replied.<\/p>\n
Experts and advocates have emphasized that evidence isn\u2019t clear on the relationship between THC concentrations in blood and impairment.<\/p>\n
A study published in 2019, for example, concluded that those who drive at the legal THC limit\u2014which is typically between two to five nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood\u2014were not statistically more likely to be involved in an accident<\/a>\u00a0compared to people who haven\u2019t used marijuana.<\/p>\n
Separately, the\u00a0Congressional Research Service in 2019 determined<\/a>\u00a0that while \u201cmarijuana consumption can affect a person\u2019s response times and motor performance\u2026 studies of the impact of marijuana consumption on a driver\u2019s risk of being involved in a crash have produced conflicting results, with some studies finding little or no increased risk of a crash from marijuana usage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another recent study found that smoking CBD-rich marijuana had\u00a0\u201cno significant impact\u201d on driving ability<\/a>, despite the fact that all study participants exceeded the per se limit for THC in their blood.<\/p>\n
\nMississippi Lawmakers Positioned To Override Governor If He Vetoes Medical Marijuana Bill, GOP Senator Says<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
Photo courtesy of NHTSA\/YouTube<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
The post Feds Use A Confusingly Cool-Looking Cheetah For PSA Discouraging Marijuana Impaired Driving<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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