Tory anti-pot ad mocked and condemned by YouTube viewers

If you go by the viewership numbers alone, the Conservative government'slatest attempt to alert Canadianparents to the purported dangers of teenpot useis fast becoming a YouTube sensation.

The 30-second ad, which was posted to the video-sharing network last month aspart ofa multi-platform ad campaign, is currentlyon track to surpass200,000 views.

The video hasalreadyblasted past the previous record for the department's official YouTube channel just over 110,000 viewers and counting forastylisticallyand thematically similarad launched as part of the same campaign, which targeted teen prescription drug abuse.

• On mobile? Watch the video here
• Canada's doctors decline to join anti-marijuana campaign

To put those numbers in perspective, most of the other videos posted under the Healthy Canadians moniker have viewership numbers in the low to mid-hundreds.

At least some of the credit for that six-figure audience should almost certainly go toReddit, wherea thread devoted to the ad has spawned more than 400 comments of its own since it was posted on Wednesday.

But before the celebratory (non-alcoholic) champagne starts flowing in the Health Canada boardroom, thecreative team responsible for the video might want to scan the YouTube comment thread.

A sampling:

• "As a Canadian taxpayer, I'm highly offended that my money contributed to this mass disinformation, which amounts to nothing more than scare tactics. It's time for the government to drop the political motives that are clearly behind these types of messages about drugs, and instead embrace an opinion that is based on public health."
• "What a weak argument - '300 - 400% stronger than it was 30 years ago'. Now you only have to smoke a half joint, instead of 3 joints like you did 30 years ago! Weak! I want my tax money back!"
• "Listening to this commercial can seem harmless, but it can cause serious damage to a teens developing brain."
• "I used to think marijuana was bad, till I saw this commercial. Now I've concluded adults are liars."
• "I don't smoke cannabis, but it's disgraceful knowing my tax money is being wasted on propaganda. How about some sources?"
• "Is this the same advertisement that the College of Physicians refused to support?"

"Not a fan of pot, but this ad is just stupid,"concluded a user going by the handle Antphetamines.

The video has alsogarnered more than 2,500 "thumbs down" via the YouTube user-ranking system, with just over 100 viewers giving it a "thumbs up."

Despite the negative comments and reviews, Health Canada could still deem the campaign a success, at least as far as the sheer number of eyeballs the ad has reached over the three weeks the video has beenup.

But the decision toopen the videoforseemingly unfiltered audience reaction illustrates one of the perils of launching a two-way conversationas part of a public awareness campaign: namely, that there's a very good chance people may take you up on the invitation to talk back.

IQ claim questioned

In some cases, that may include a bit of crowdsourced fact-checking.

Several commenters linkedto a recent Washington Post articleonrecentscientific studies that appear to debunk thetheory that marijuana lowers IQ, as suggested in the ad.

The political overtones did not go unnoticed either:

• "God, this really does play like a covert attack ad on [Liberal Leader] Justin Trudeau," wrote PhillipRottingham."Our tax dollars at work everyone!"
• "'A message from the Government of Canada' Aka Harper," noted Cody Vandermeer. "The guy that doesn't want Trudeau in power. Lol."
• "For serious tho,i'm voting Liberal so they wont make anymore ads like this," pledged neverdieyet.
• "They've finally done it," notedAlex Hill. "Someone has created an advertisement so brainless and pathetic, YouTube comments have stood up to be the voice of reason."

The ad does have its defenders:

• "Thank you for informing the public on the dangerous of cannabis use," wrote Samuel Stringman, whose signaturenotes that he isa "card carrying member of the Conservative Party of Canada."
• "Smoking cannabis damages the lungs and can cause brain abnormalities, especially in youth. Thankfully, PM Harper has taken a hard line on cannabis and is not going to let Justin Trudeaupollute our schools with this psychotropic drug."
• "Is it really a bad thing for the Canadian government to want to produce outstanding contributors to their communities and society?" wondered MrCawffeh.

The government's anti-drug social media outreach effort extends beyond YouTube.

The@HealthyCdns Twitter account has also been actively engaged in promoting the videos, as has the department Facebook page, where theanti-pot spothas alsogotten mixed reviews in the comment section. The campaign has even landed on Pinterest.

"The evidence is clear that when youth smoke marijuana, there is an increased risk of mental health issues, such as psychosis and schizophrenia," Health Canada spokesman Sean Upton told CBC News.

"After completion of any campaign and as per usual government practice, we conduct surveys with Canadians to look at recall and awareness levels, as well as evaluate the ads' overall effectiveness."