Australian police praised for ‘pretty rad’ advertising campaign
South Australia Police have been praised for an advertising campaign cleverly targeting the habits of drug users.
Video shared to Reddit last week shows the poster opening a takeaway pizza to reveal an advert on the inside of the box.
"I mean I can't fault their marketing team," they said.
The advert reads: 'Weed? Don't drive for at least 24 hours." It pictures a male driver taking a roadside drug test.
"The advertisement is definitely targeting the right audience!" one person responded.
"That's pretty rad to be honest. South Oz being sensible," another said.
A regular side-effect of smoking cannabis is an increased appetite, often referred to as 'the munchies'. Scientists say it is due to the drug affecting brain cells that normally suppress appetite.
Police confirm adverts are strategically placed
South Australia Police confirmed to Yahoo News Australia the adverts are tactically placed for their target audience.
"Advertisements are placed in mediums most likely to expose the content to the target audience," they said.
"The campaign is designed to educate drug users about the period of time after using drugs, that drugs can be detected in a person’s system."
Some Reddit users questioned whether a 24 hour period would be sufficient to pass a roadside drugs test, however police clarified the process of testing.
"This test is looking for the impairing element of the drug in the interest of road safety not other elements of the drug or drug use that can be detected in a longer time frame," they said.
The adverts have been in use at regular intervals since being developed in 2019.
Last month a NSW driver failed a drug test after ingesting medical cannabis, with police using the incident to educate the public on the increasingly-popular medicine.
A NSW Upper House committee is beginning its examination of a bill that seeks to change the Road Transport Act 2013 to exclude medicinal cannabis users from offences related to driving under the influence of certain drugs.
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