I had seen the Above the Influence site before. I even applauded its existance and supported the message. But now they've got a specialized area that's supposed to speak to gamers about the downside of getting high and gaming.
Source: Above the Influence: Gaming High [ more info ]

Still, I support what the site is trying to do. But, someone really dropped the ball when they devised the plan to relate to gamers. They have two poorly animated video characters, apparently in a hospital ward, explaining how friends they gamed with got high and it pretty much ruined everything.

I'm not trying to bash Above the Influence here. I don't think they've done anything wrong. Well, except that they seem to have hired someone, who has never spoken to a gamer, to try to speak like a gamer to other gamers. But, "Sayonara swiftness"? Seriously?

So uhh... let me try to translate.

"I used to hit up Heroics with this guy that could melt faces like a CPU fan without heat sinks. Then he started getting baked before we zoned in and my repair bill went trough the roof. He can't even shadow me Icecrown dailies anymore."

So yeah, it's a bit extreme and ridiculous, but at least most of you could sortof relate right? Quite frankly, some of the folks that I've met in game play better when they smoke up. It calms them the hell down. So they don't end up wiping the raid with trash mobs. That's not me condoning the action... I'm just saying.

That is just so downright retarded.

The characters are in hospital because their players/users like a bit of puff.

Thanks for the Laugh!!

Personally, I think that Above the Influence is one of the largest wastes of tax payer dollars I've ever seen. No, children should not be smoking pot, but what these commercials aren't telling you is that Marijuana has been used medicinally for thousands of years and the government has been lying about it and demonizing it for the past eighty years. It's should be up to the parents to educate their children about it, and I can't help but think to myself 'Wow, there goes every penny I gave to the government this year in that thirty second commercial'.

I also know of people who are easier to play with when their slightly or even heavily inebriated, but all of my guild mates are adults making their own decisions.

My favorite bit of irony from this ad campaign is the bit where they say "Be your own person. Be above the influence". You know...by obeying the message that the television commercial is trying to force down your throat.

[/rant]

I think the whole reaching out to gamers is.. well.. sort of a waste of time. Sure, some gamers do some drugs.. but it's more of a games being popular, and people whom may do drugs may also play games.

Generally speaking, I'm too busy grinding AAs to remember to eat - let alone take a hit.

But, but...when I play a 'lock it's my duty to make sure the priest is stoned. I'm confused.

When I first read this comic, my first thought was 'umm, so the bard broke his guitar?'

People need to Educate their audience with all the facts, thus leaving the reader feeling like they were honest with the material they were spouting off, thus leaving them feeling more opt to respect the ad, and respect the concept.

Really though, I am truly sick of seeing Marijuana demonized.

The 'facts' about marijuana in 1929 – "If you smoke it you will kill people"
The 'facts' about marijuana in 1936 – “If you smoke it, You will go insane”
The 'facts' about marijuana in 1951 – “If you smoke it, you will do heroine”
The 'facts' about marijuana in 1966 “If you smoke it, you will lose all motivation, and undermine national security”

Because so many people were trying Marijuana in 1967 scientists decided to actually run tests on it, and guess what they found: “We found the drug makes people happy, and talkative, and then sleepy”

Government has consistently ignored the fact Marijuana is not as bad for you as Alcohol and Cigarettes, and on top of that has spent BILLIONS of billions of dollars on ‘trying’ to keep it off the streets.

Educate yourself people, don’t listen to what you are being told. [more info]


Watch Grass a History on Google.

All that said, I think it should be regulate so it is only reaching the hands of those of legal age, and Legalizing it would be the biggest help to ruining the underhanded drug dealing business.

I want this one please!!!!

Originally Posted by Linkx:

The 'facts' about marijuana in 1951 – “If you smoke it, you will do heroine”

If WoW jumped on the bandwagon maybe they could go with: "Bring the Player not the WEED." LOL

Marijuana is less addictive then cigarettes, doesn't cause the same impairment as alcohol, and doesn't even need to be smoked (which could cause cancer) to achieve the desired affect. There has never been a documented causation between the use of marijuana and harder drugs. There were only 2 official studies conducted on the affects of marijuana in the US. The first by the mayor of New York in the 40s or something. It showed that it wasn't addictive at all in comparison to other legal substances and didn't want to enforce the law passed by the federal government. Nixon ordered a test, and when he found out the scientists didn't see their test subjects try to go on murderous rampages, he threw the report away without ever reading it.


As for playing high, me+wow+weed=wipes. too much going on for me to tank&bake. gimme halo or assassin's creed, though, and i'm an animal.

Just to say.. we went to link to check out this video, and the entire page Woody linked is gone.

Either they got scared and took it down.. or GU broke another patch with hotlinking.
Funny stuff, both ways.