For the past several years, the legalization of marijuana has been a highly controversial issue in the U.S, in this case California. Because of it's intensity, the issue of legalizing marijuana has reached new heights, especially when it came to advertising it's legalization.
Radio and magazine ads are just the beginning of what promises to be an intense and expensive campaign. One supporter promises to spend a million dollars of his own money to legalize marijuana. If successful California would become the first state this century to legalize marijuana, and tax it. Many proponents claim legalizing the use of marijuana in California is one way to help solve the state's budget problems. And they say it's one way to make life easier for police. So supporters of what is being called the regulate, control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010. have a former reserve sheriff's deputy and school policeman as their voice. One radio advertisement broadcasts: "Like many other cops, I've seen firsthand that the current approach on cannabis is simply not working. It's led to violent drug cartels, dealers in our schools and our streets." What law enforcement in the state and nationally is focused on is the cultivation and the large-scale smuggling operations of marijuana. Millionaire Richard Lee bankrolled much of the petition drive that got the measure on the November ballot. He started using marijuana medicinally after a back injury. Now he sells medical marijuana and promises to raise at least $20 million to legalize marijuana. Lee believes that taxing marijuana will make the proposition more attractive to voters. However, many opposers ask "if we as a society want another intoxicant legalized." "Once we get a consistent voice, I think the public will realize what's really at stake here is the social fabric of the state," said KIm Raney, head of the Covina chief of police. Fourteen states, including California, allow marijuana for medical use. Alaska tried legalizing it for recreation in 1978. The law was repealed in 1990.
With feelings as strong as those you can get some idea how tough the campaign will be on both sides of the legalization issue, especially when advertising comes into play. When advertising an issue such as this one, both sides must figure a way to persuade their audience in believing their campaign, mainly through advertisement. This is where visual and verbal communication is key to winning over your audience. When designing an ad for the legalization of marijuana, one must chose imagery, wording, and especially type very carefully. It is important for the designer to visually capture the viewer's attention and persuade him/her in the cause. A designer's main focus in designing ads is make their audience think, communicate, and persuade. The designer will know when he/she has succeed in this approach. When an ad turns out confusing, unnoticeable, and unattractive, that is when a designer will know when he/she was unsuccessful. And this goes back to the layout of the ad's design. Design and copyright have to visual work together. Color, positioning, typefaces, imagery, etc must work together to create visual interest. In the aspect of advertising either pro or con legalization, one must consider what will visually capture the viewer's attention. For pro, a designer would need to create some positive imagery and copyright promoting the positives of legalizing. In the case of con, one would need to focus on negative imagery to promote the negatives of legalization. Depending on the audience, the campaign would need to understand the extent of their ads. For example, in the case of pro, designers might want to focus more on expressing the benefits of legalizing marijuana with a strong sense of maturity (since most of those who might oppose are in the age range of an older crowd). In the case of con, one might want to express the negatives with a sense of fear and negativity (since most of those who are for marijuana are in the age range of a younger crowd). But despite the differences from both sides of the issue, they can both agree on one thing- having successful advertising is key to winning.
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