Patient Engagement, Policy, Startups

It had to happen: The first TV commercial for “pot doctors”

I hesitated to write about this because of the icky drug dealer stereotype in this […]

I hesitated to write about this because of the icky drug dealer stereotype in this ad, but the web site is irresistable. Of course we need MarijuanaDoctors.com: “The only service that connects patients with real doctors for medical marijuana recommendations.” The web site includes tabs for “Legal States” and “Pending States.”

The company says that their ad is the first ever to run on broadcast television to address the controversial subject matter. From their press release:

“Securing the airtime for our commercial on a major network was extremely difficult and at the same time, extremely satisfying,” stated Jason Draizin, Founder and CEO of MarijuanaDoctors.com, Inc.

“We recognize that the sale and use of marijuana is still considered very controversial and we are pleased that Comcast understands that there are legitimate businesses providing legitimate and legal services to people who have legitimate needs.”

The commercial draws a parallel between a “shady” street dealer attempting to push “unsafe” sushi to unsuspecting buyers, and medical marijuana patients being forced to obtain their medication in a similar fashion. MarijuanaDoctors.com draws this parallel in an attempt to prove the severity of consulting physicians in order to obtain medical marijuana for terminal and debilitating medical conditions where the doctor may recommend that the benefits of medical marijuana outweigh the risks of in order to improve a patient’s overall health.

“We felt the viewing public would agree that in the states providing safe access, continuing to obtain medicine illegally is as absurd as purchasing raw fish from a drug dealer,” Draizin said.

Lucky viewers in New Jersey will be the first to enjoy this ad.

Veronica Combs

Veronica is an independent journalist and communications strategist. For more than 10 years, she has covered health and healthcare with a focus on innovation and patient engagement. Most recently she managed strategic partnerships and communications for AIR Louisville, a digital health project focused on asthma. The team recruited 7 employer partners, enrolled 1,100 participants and collected more than 250,000 data points about rescue inhaler use. Veronica has worked for startups for almost 20 years doing everything from launching blogs, newsletters and patient communities to recruiting speakers, moderating panel conversations and developing new products. You can reach her on Twitter @vmcombs.

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