2008 pro-cannabis law reform ad contest

Building on both last year’s successful Cannabis Clip Contest and this year’s historic observance of America’s 20th millionth cannabis-related arrest on October 10, 2008, the NORML Foundation announces a call for citizen activists, artists, and artisans against cannabis prohibition to submit either a video or flash animation (30 or 60 seconds) for a $2,500 grand prize (and $10,000 in overall prizes).

To kick off this educational campaign and contest we choose to use an artistic variation of one of America’s most iconic images, Grant Wood’s ‘American Gothic’, to attempt to convey the common person’s sense of outrage that cannabis prohibition could have ever amounted to 20 million arrests. This prohibition was created and nurtured by the federal government from the very first victim, ‘American Gothic’ farmer-look-a-like Sam Caldwell, to the 20-millionth arrest coming this October.

In 2007 there were 872,721 cannabis-related arrests in America, one every 37 seconds (90% for possession only). The 20-millionth mark has arrived sooner than anyone could have imagined just a few years ago.
Want to have an impact on cannabis law reform? GET GRAPHIC and enter this contest.

Submit as many entries as you want to NORML’s 2008 Marijuana Gothic Ad/video clip contest and qualify to possibly win healthy cash rewards, and recognition by millions of Internet users for your creative contribution to educating the public about the need for alternative policies to cannabis prohibition.

These stakeholder-generated and creative contests are both fun and great ways for citizens all over the world to have more than a vapid, exhibitionistic ‘YouTube’ moment. Rather, their creative contribution in the form of a well-crafted public service announcement will be featured on one of the most popular webpages on the Internet—www.norml.org (and, like last year’s contest winner, television.