A group of parents is calling for a boycott of telecommunications giant T-Mobile over a Super Bowl ad they say makes cannabis use look appealing to vulnerable children.
During the broadcast of Super Bowl LI earlier this month, T-Mobile aired an ad with homemaker extraordinaire Martha Stewart and rapper Snoop Dogg where they make a number of thinly veiled references to weed while pushing a new cellphone package deal, including “Purple Kushy” throw pillows, herb-roasted lamb chops, greenery and (my favourite) can o’ bisque.
The commercial is meant to be a riff off the newly renewed VH1 reality show Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party which features the pair hosting weekly, 420-friendly dinner parties with a variety of their famous friends.
A letter sent to T-Mobile executives states: “You have spit on the memories of all those who have lost their lives to marijuana addiction—both the addicts who have lost their fights, as well as those who had no choice in someone’s use but paid for it with the ultimate price. You have rubbed salt in the wounds of the family members fighting to move on from such deaths and fighting to get people to understand that drug use—even so-called ‘harmless’ marijuana use—isn’t funny. You have encouraged our children to believe that dealing drugs is a legitimate business opportunity and can, just like Snoop, make them millionaires.”
However, Parents Opposed to Pot appear to face an uphill battle finding others who share their outrage given that an estimated 111.3 million people watched the New England Patriots’ historic comeback over the Atlanta Falcons and another 4.2 million have checked the ad out on YouTube.
At last count only 163 people have signed their petition.