NSW government’s effort to warn Australian teenagers of the risks of marijuana has caused bemusement on social media since the ads went viral

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

The New South Wales government’s “stoner sloth” campaign, intended to warn teenagers of the dangers of sustained marijuana use, has instead driven web traffic to a “cannabis solutions” site.

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The campaign shows human-size, anthropomorphic sloths mistaking salad for salt at the dinner table, struggling to opine on pairing socks with sandals at a party, and other relatable examples of the pitfalls of being a teenager high on marijuana, with the tagline “you’re worse on weed”.

The clips – and gifs of them, ready-tagged “#weed” for reblogging – have been published on Tumblr at stonersloth.com.au.

Stonersloth.com is a “cannabis solutions” site, based in Colorado, that bills its mission as helping others “enjoy each and every smoking experience from seed to sleep!”



Its operator, who gave his name as Daniel, said the NSW government’s campaign had driven “a good deal of traffic” to his website, as well as follows on social media. He said he had had about 1,000 page views from Australia every day since Saturday afternoon in Colorado.



“The irony of it is pretty funny,” he told Guardian Australia. “They really wanted to go with the Stoner Sloth brand for this, despite the domain and pages being used.”

“A Sloth Moves Only A Few Dozen Yards A Day We Want You To Enjoy The Same Luxury!” The tagline of stonersloth.com

He said the campaign was an “outdated dramatisation” of the effects of marijuana, and that such scare tactics had been found to be ineffectual in encouraging substance abusers to seek treatment.

“The campaign looks like fear, as in this is what happens when you smoke weed, when it doesn’t show an accurate depiction of that – obviously someone high can pass the salt,” Daniel said.

He noted the irony of the NSW government using a “mascot of sort for smokers, plus a lovable character” to deter people from marijuana.

“Like many people who smoke, I have had sloth moments. You can, as it is said, ‘over-medicate’ and feel couch-locked, not wanting to do anything – but I know people who get that without smoking too.”

Although stonersloth.com was still in development, Daniel said his aim was to “provide sources to info to understand ... how to get the most out of cannabis”.

The NSW government’s campaign has caused bemusement since the ads went viral last week.

Daniel tweeted a link to a YouTube compilation of the ads from his @StonerSlothCo Twitter account, with the comment: “Australia why do you expect a sloth to do any of this”.

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The official Stoner Sloth Facebook page, which has attracted nearly 14,000 likes, has been overwhelmed with comments making fun of the campaign or questioning its logic.

“Smoke weed, become one of the most adorable animals in the world. Where do I get some weed?” commented Andrew Watton-Davies.

“Sorry people but is this video a joke or what” commented Milos Stefanovic, to which someone posting as Stoner Sloth replied: “This is no joke, Milos. It’s real, and you’re worse on weed.”

Neither Saatchi & Saatchi, the advertising agency behind the campaign, nor the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet was available to comment.