Pot ad outside Indy race snuffed out

Phillip B. Wilson | The Indianapolis Star

Brickyard 400 race fans probably missed the public-service message that marijuana should be considered safer than alcohol.

A 30-second Marijuana Project Policy video that referred to pot as "the new beer" appeared for several hours Friday before it was pulled from a portable screen across from Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Few NASCAR fans seemed to notice the board, propped up on a trailer in front of the American Legion Speedway Post 500 lodge on Georgetown Road. That spot is typically flooded on race day. Three-day attendance estimates exceed 150,000.

But as soon as board operator Mike Estojak was told of the marijuana message, he made a call and said the ad would be yanked from the continuous video loop. The process proved to be complicated. The operator said it would be completed by the end of the day.

"The company that hired me (Grazie Media in Ontario, Canada) has policies against this and is content-neutral," said Estojak, Mobile Technology Graphics president.

A Grazie spokesman who declined to divulge his name confirmed the ad would be pulled.

"We in no way support marijuana at family events," the spokesman said. "We didn't expect this ad to be interpreted the way it did. We don't want anything to do with it anymore."

Based in Washington, D.C., Marijuana Policy Project is the nation's largest pro-marijuana legalization advocacy group. The ad emphasizes pot has "no calories, no hangovers" and "it's not linked to violence or reckless behavior." The narrator concludes, "Less harmful than alcohol, and time to treat it that way."

Marijuana Policy Project spokesman Mason Tvert said his group paid $2,200 for the ad. It was scheduled to appear 72 times through Sunday.

"I certainly hope we get our $2,200 back," Tvert said. "We think it's rather hypocritical for these folks to pull an ad highlighting the relative safety of marijuana compared to alcohol, yet welcome with open arms the copeus amount of alcohol use taking place on the premises."

The 20th Brickyard 400's major sponsor is Crown Royal whiskey. Miller Lite beer is also a sponsor. IMS President Doug Boles and NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said the track and race were in no way connected to the advertisement.

Tvert and the Grazie Media spokesman accused each other of exaggerating the placement of the video board — a Marijuana Policy Project email news release suggested race fans would see the ad on a Jumbotron at the main entrance of IMS. But the board wasn't anywhere near the 16th street main entrance, instead situated near food vendors in front of the American Legion lodge.

The Gracie Media spokesman said Tvert got what he wanted in the first place: publicity, which included a USA TODAY story.

"At the end of the day, it made it more of a discussion," the spokesman said. "They got their money's worth. They got their message out."

He said Tvert "probably" would be refunded the $2,200.

The American Legion post was unaware of the marijuana ad.

"We rent vendor space and that's all we do," said Mark Gullion, first vice commander. "I didn't know about it until somebody else told me. I looked at the board and didn't see it. We have no affiliation with it, and we don't condone it."

While Estojak was on his cellphone with Grazie Media, the ad appeared twice in a span of 38 minutes. The audio was difficult to understand and could not be heard from a distance.

Recreational use of marijuana was legalized in Colorado and Washington last year, but Indiana appears to be a long way from that. In the last year, three Hoosier senators have introduced bills or resolutions regarding the potential loosening of pot restrictions, but none have gained traction.