So apparently the Global Commission on Drug Policy is meeting today to present a report saying that the war on drugs is not working. The report has backing from a slew of high profile ex-politicians.
From a PR perspective this is just another event in the 'legal not legal' debate that has gone on forever. What I do find fascinating though is that there's a shift occuring on the PR front, the notion of legalization is become pallitable to many more people than ever before.
Perhaps it's an aging baby-boomer population who after decades of a War on Drugs simply don't care much anymore to fight that war (especially not when their 401K and RRSPs are hurting).
Or perhaps it's the recession and the potential tax revenue that could be generated by legalizing certain drugs.
Or perhaps it's the culmination of mounting distrust (and lack of faith) the public has in government to do the right thing (the Iraq war and the 2008 stock market crash and continued high unemployment have all eroded an already eroding faith that the people had in their government and apex institutions). So when the government says we have to go to 'war on drugs' people don't necessarily trust that we do.
Or perhaps it's simply the result of an educated populous coming of age. With three generations (baby boomers, gen-xer's and gen-yer's) who were heavily processed through the university system, we have never seen a populous as critical-thinking oriented as we have now.
None of these things suggest anyone thinks drugs are good. However, the question is whether you address it as a public health issue or as a criminal issue and the old-line of simply throwing drug users in jail doesn't seem to be flying with folks anymore.
Again from a PR perspective, what I find fascinating is the little things that start to sway public opinion. In the article referenced above (which is a mainstream article reaching millions via Yahoo), the picture speaks a thousand words.
What do we see here? We've got scary henchman that look like they work for Darth Vader in the background (guns clearly apparent) and we've got young men, dressed in civilian clothing, with a fear-like posture (head down, shoulders slumped) being marched to wherever. In addition, you've got a white male in the center of the picture.
A picture like this screams of tyranny and subliminally sends the message that the 'powers that be' are after every day (none threatening) citizens, including white males. Ask yourself, when you see that picture, who are you afraid of? I'd be more afraid of the guys in black with guns.
PR is about more than just words, images count for a lot also. And it's images like this that sway public opinion.
On the flip side you've also got viral marketing such as the video below creating the case that there's nothing to fear from drugs.
So when you combine respected authority figures saying end the war on drugs, with media coverage presenting the law as a dictatorial power and with viral marketing espousing that drugs (at least marijuana) aren't evil, it's hard to argue that on the PR front the 'decriminalization' side isn't winning.
Can the 'keep it criminal' side swing public opinion back in their favor? It's hard to say. It wouldn't be hard to do, you simply integrate 'enforcement' with 'health care'... so when you are arrested for drug use, instead of going to jail, you are sent for mandatory treatment. Badda-bing badda-boom, that's something everyone could get behind. You keep drugs illegal but you do so in a humanitarian way.
Do I think the powers-that-be will go down that road? In many ways I think they already are. I think most law enforcement and politicians don't want to fill our jails with pot-heads (I think they are more focused on the drug dealers).
But the fact that I don't really know whether this is true or not is the PR problem. The messages behind legalizing drugs are very well known at this point and gaining in awareness every day. Yet the messages behind keeping drugs illegal are not well known (it use to be that parents feared their children using drugs because of the harm it would bring to their life, but a new generation of parents don't seem to have these fears when it comes to 'soft' drugs).
While the powers-that-be have the advantage in that they have the men with guns to enforce their will, PR is what moves the public and when it breaches a certain threshold it supercedes political and enforcement powers (after all, such powers are elected by the people). So while for the time being the status-quo is still holding ground, the PR battle is shifting, which suggests that the status-quo will have no choice but to change in the coming years.
From a PR perspective, it should be interesting to watch. As the 'legalize' side gains mind share in the public that will also bring them greater resources to further challenge the status-quo. One has to wonder, on the PR front, if we aren't getting close to the dam breaking in terms of public opinion on this issue and whether the 'powers-that-be' are failing to read the tea leaves properly.
From a PR perspective this is just another event in the 'legal not legal' debate that has gone on forever. What I do find fascinating though is that there's a shift occuring on the PR front, the notion of legalization is become pallitable to many more people than ever before.
Perhaps it's an aging baby-boomer population who after decades of a War on Drugs simply don't care much anymore to fight that war (especially not when their 401K and RRSPs are hurting).
Or perhaps it's the recession and the potential tax revenue that could be generated by legalizing certain drugs.
Or perhaps it's the culmination of mounting distrust (and lack of faith) the public has in government to do the right thing (the Iraq war and the 2008 stock market crash and continued high unemployment have all eroded an already eroding faith that the people had in their government and apex institutions). So when the government says we have to go to 'war on drugs' people don't necessarily trust that we do.
Or perhaps it's simply the result of an educated populous coming of age. With three generations (baby boomers, gen-xer's and gen-yer's) who were heavily processed through the university system, we have never seen a populous as critical-thinking oriented as we have now.
None of these things suggest anyone thinks drugs are good. However, the question is whether you address it as a public health issue or as a criminal issue and the old-line of simply throwing drug users in jail doesn't seem to be flying with folks anymore.
Again from a PR perspective, what I find fascinating is the little things that start to sway public opinion. In the article referenced above (which is a mainstream article reaching millions via Yahoo), the picture speaks a thousand words.
What do we see here? We've got scary henchman that look like they work for Darth Vader in the background (guns clearly apparent) and we've got young men, dressed in civilian clothing, with a fear-like posture (head down, shoulders slumped) being marched to wherever. In addition, you've got a white male in the center of the picture.
A picture like this screams of tyranny and subliminally sends the message that the 'powers that be' are after every day (none threatening) citizens, including white males. Ask yourself, when you see that picture, who are you afraid of? I'd be more afraid of the guys in black with guns.
PR is about more than just words, images count for a lot also. And it's images like this that sway public opinion.
On the flip side you've also got viral marketing such as the video below creating the case that there's nothing to fear from drugs.
So when you combine respected authority figures saying end the war on drugs, with media coverage presenting the law as a dictatorial power and with viral marketing espousing that drugs (at least marijuana) aren't evil, it's hard to argue that on the PR front the 'decriminalization' side isn't winning.
Can the 'keep it criminal' side swing public opinion back in their favor? It's hard to say. It wouldn't be hard to do, you simply integrate 'enforcement' with 'health care'... so when you are arrested for drug use, instead of going to jail, you are sent for mandatory treatment. Badda-bing badda-boom, that's something everyone could get behind. You keep drugs illegal but you do so in a humanitarian way.
Do I think the powers-that-be will go down that road? In many ways I think they already are. I think most law enforcement and politicians don't want to fill our jails with pot-heads (I think they are more focused on the drug dealers).
But the fact that I don't really know whether this is true or not is the PR problem. The messages behind legalizing drugs are very well known at this point and gaining in awareness every day. Yet the messages behind keeping drugs illegal are not well known (it use to be that parents feared their children using drugs because of the harm it would bring to their life, but a new generation of parents don't seem to have these fears when it comes to 'soft' drugs).
While the powers-that-be have the advantage in that they have the men with guns to enforce their will, PR is what moves the public and when it breaches a certain threshold it supercedes political and enforcement powers (after all, such powers are elected by the people). So while for the time being the status-quo is still holding ground, the PR battle is shifting, which suggests that the status-quo will have no choice but to change in the coming years.
From a PR perspective, it should be interesting to watch. As the 'legalize' side gains mind share in the public that will also bring them greater resources to further challenge the status-quo. One has to wonder, on the PR front, if we aren't getting close to the dam breaking in terms of public opinion on this issue and whether the 'powers-that-be' are failing to read the tea leaves properly.
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