A Federal PSA Against High Drivers Is Being Criticized For Using a Cool-Looking Cheetah

Twitter users are expressing their confusion regarding a recent PSA against driving high on cannabis. What could have been a straight-to-the-point and informative campaign was rather childish and “cool,” notes countless individuals on social media platforms. 

The PSA sees a cool-looking cheetah puffing on a joint while cruising in his car, which is apparently the only thing this federal agency could come up with. The ad left many confused, wondering why they would make the cheetah look so cool and poised if he’s the “criminal” in this situation. 

The PSA was created by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and is clearly against high drivers. After publishing the ad, the public came back with hundreds of questions regarding why on earth they chose to represent a high, impaired driver with an animated Tanzanian cheetah or make the cat look so cool.

When we think of a stereotypical cannabis consumer, thanks to years of the government enforcing that lazy and ambitionless notion about weed smokers, one doesn’t necessarily think of the world’s fastest land animal. That said, we get the idea that if the NHTSA were to use something a little more sedentary, they would have seen even more backlash.

Twitter users made the point: Why make the cheetah look confusingly cool if he’s breaking the law? If anything, it could evoke the opposite of what the ad was intended to do.

During the PSA, we hear the narrator talk about the cheetah being known for its speed and agility, “not its common sense.” He continues to explain how the cheetah is driving high and getting a DUI from the “cheetah police,” which results in paying up to “10,000 cheetah dollars and will probably end up in cheetah jail.”

The PSA was released last year but was recently promoted on Twitter. It does demonstrate the government’s intention to keep cannabis consumers safe and deter them from driving high, but in such a way that’s almost inviting criticism and backlash from cannabis consumers and the general public.  

Another example of the government having the right intention but not executing appropriately occurred last month. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) published a guide for parents that breaks down the emojis the youth commonly use when talking about buying or selling illicit drugs. 

Similarly, last year the NHTSA and the Ad Council paired up with Vox Creative to release another ad against driving high. That advertisement was also a tad questionable as it told consumers that they should avoid driving high at all costs, even if a psychopathic axe murderer is chasing them.