The PSA that reads, “Just a simple toke of ‘devil’s lettuce’ could make you sacrifice your family to Satan!” is a complete work of fiction.
An anti-marijuana advertisement has been making the rounds on social media lately, and it is making some parents a little nervous. The ad states that smoking weed is the “leading cause of America’s youth joining Satanic Cults, and that’s a fact.” Gasp!
As one might imagine, the thought of Little Jimmy and Jenny getting high with friends one morning under the monkey bars and, unbeknownst to them, subsequently being put in a league with Satan is enough to send chills down the spine of any upstanding mom and dad. Parents have come to expect that marijuana might be a gateway drug for their teen, maybe even one that leads them down a path to penniless squalor, but not Satanism! Rest easy, mom and dad. The viral PSA is fake.
At first glance, the ad that reads “Smoke a doobie? You’re smoking with SATAN ” looks like a legit enough warning against the use of marijuana — something that is now legal in over half the United States. It is a finely crafted piece that appears to have been made by the graphic design professionals at the Ad Council. The ad looks like it means business, so the claims must be true, right? Not so fast.
Fact check: Viral ad on marijuana and ‘youth joining satanic cults’ is a #hoax.
File Under: #NoDuh #LOL #PeopleActuallyBelievedThishttps://t.co/fnj2tWaS4v pic.twitter.com/iOUJoacRPy
— DC Marijuana Justice??????? (@DCMJ2014) March 12, 2021
We live in a time of misleading news, artificial intelligence and deep fakes. Technology is now so sophisticated that people don’t even need to hit the gym anymore to look fit for their profile pictures. Nope, there’s an app that will sculpt them to look like Greek gods and give their followers the impression that they workout 12-hours a day. Apps also make it easy for creative minds to produce phony social media ads. Anyone with a phone can do it. Still, that doesn’t stop much of the American population from believing their messages and using the share button to spread the lies.
So, yes, just in case you were bamboozled by the bull, the Ad Council PSA that reads, “Just a simple toke of ‘devil’s lettuce’ could make you sacrifice your family to Satan!” is a complete work of fiction. There’s no truth in it whatsoever.
Anyone who thought to examine the ad closer would have seen the ridiculous message printed at the bottom: “If you or someone you know is addicted to marijuana, call Domino’s at 215-712-1000, rent a tape and enjoy!” Since a pizza chain doesn’t run the Ad Council, and nobody is renting video tapes anymore, that’s a pretty solid indication that the ad was designed to be funny and never intended to be taken seriously.
Unfortunately, many folks had a knee-jerk reaction to the ad and shared it without giving it a full review. I even shared it on my Facebook page a few months ago because I thought it was hilarious. I mean, if everyone who smoked pot ended up in a Satanic cult, well, we would all probably be using Ouija boards to sing the National Anthem at sporting events.
RELATED: Another Survey Shows Teen Marijuana Use Declines After Legalization
I was shocked just how many of my followers got angry over the ad and even posted comments about how it was “reefer madness” and all part of the federal government’s plot to maintain pot prohibition. They never stopped to consider that some silly stoner probably designed it in his parents’ basement in hopes of getting some laughs — just an evening of design hijinks in pursuit of clicks and likes.
A recent USA Today fact-checking mission confirmed that, yep, the ad is as fake as it gets. “The image is not an Ad Council piece,” the news source wrote. “The Ad Council confirmed that the warning is fake, and similar advertisements on marijuana claiming to come from the Ad Council have been previously debunked.”
RELATED: How Can Parents Tell If Their Teenager Is Using Marijuana?
So, if you were ever worried about your teen using marijuana and then praising the Dark Lord, you can sleep better tonight knowing that’s probably not going to happen. Satanism and marijuana have absolutely no connection in the real world. In fact, Lavey Satanists reject the use of cannabis and any other drug.
Other Satanic groups are okay with marijuana, but they are not actively trying to lure kids into their covens with drug-induced tactics. Nope, regardless of how much marijuana they smoke, Little Jimmy and Jenny are still going to have to pay an annual membership fee.
