“Need drugs to get you through Christmas?” Avoid any reference to illegal drugs to avoid tripping up on the rules around responsibility.
Any references, however veiled and obscure, to illegal drugs, are likely to breach the Code. Even if they are a common reference point in the target audience, or they might not offend those who see the ad, mentioning illegal drugs suggests you condone or even encourage their use. A delivery company ad that caught people’s attention by playing on slang words often associated with illegal drugs – poppers, acid and blow- was banned for encouraging apathy towards dangerous substances by presenting drugs as a subject of humour.
More general references might be OK – complaints about a Christmas ad that asked “Need drugs to get you through Christmas?” weren’t upheld. The ad immediately made clear that the drugs it meant were “caffeine, sugar, chocolate”. In this case, the light-hearted tone, and clear distinction between legal and illegal drugs meant the ad was unlikely to cause harm.
Recently, the ASA has upheld complaints about an ad that featured an image of a brown, king size rolling paper. Next to the image, text stated “This is doing nothing”, “Bro, lowkey think AI’s already in charge. You ever had beef with a self-checkout till? The way it moves passive-aggressive when it says ‘unexpected item in bagging area’ is actually wild”, and “I just wanna eat everything in sight.” The ASA was not persuaded by the advertiser’s argument that the ad did not contain any direct or indirect references to illegal drugs and ruled that the ad referred to the psychological effects commonly associated with smoking cannabis. Even though it was targeted at an adult only audience, the ad was in breach of the Code.
Except in exceptional circumstances, for example, in the context of an anti-drug message, any reference to illegal drugs would be regarded as condoning their use. Ads that offer rehabilitation or treatment services are very unlikely to be found to be irresponsible.
As usual, the Copy Advice team can help if you’re not sure, or see our guidance.
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