Calif. Budget Crisis TV Ad Featuring Marijuana Consumer to Air Despite Rejection by Stations in L.A., San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO -- Despite rejections by the NBC affiliate in San Francisco/San Jose and the ABC affiliates in Los Angeles and San Francisco, a new TV spot from the Marijuana Policy Project Foundation offering a bold solution to help mitigate California's state budget crisis will begin airing on Wednesday, July 8.
The spot, which will be seen on cable news outlets (CNN, CNN Headline News, MSNBC and CNBC) in most of the state's major media markets and on broadcast stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento, features an actual California marijuana consumer, Nadene Herndon of Fair Oaks, near Sacramento. After discussing proposed budget cuts to schools, police and state parks, Herndon says, "But the governor and legislators are ignoring millions of Californians who want to pay taxes. We're marijuana consumers. Instead of being treated like criminals for using a substance safer than alcohol, we want to pay our fair share."
KABC in Los Angeles, KGO in San Francisco and KNTV in San Francisco/San Jose refused to air the ad. KNTV has offered no explanation beyond an email stating, "Standards rejected the spot." KGO said they were "not comforable" with it. KABC president/general manager Arnie Klein insisted in a phone conversation that the ad promotes marijuana use. Broadcast stations planning to air the ad include CBS, ABC and Fox affiliates.
The spot can be viewed online at http://www.mpp.org/califad.
"We are astonished that three major California TV stations chose to censor a discussion that Governor Schwarzenegger has said our state should have on an issue supported by 56 percent of voters, according to the Field poll," said Aaron Smith, MPP California policy director. "The 2 million Californians who use marijuana in a given month deserve to have their voices heard -- and their tax dollars should help solve the fiscal emergency that threatens our schools, police and parks."
