Is it ethical to advertise for products like tobacco or legal marijuana?
The ethical dilemma is whether tobacco and legal marijuana should be advertised where it is legally sold. The marketers of these products are facing legal, political, and sociocultural challenges when advertising their brands. There is so much uncertainty on whether the legalization has created opportunities and new markets or not. A company like Google which is a main online advertiser is also restricting any searches that are related to drugs. Also, magazines, newspapers, and billboards are legally restricted from advertising any information related to drugs. The law is working so hard to protect the underage from being exposed to these advertisements and start growing interest in drug use. For instance, in Colorado, any advertisement on drugs that can reach more than 30% of people under the age of twenty-one is prohibited by state law. Any other online content that does not block the underage from accessing the information on marijuana cannot advertise it.
On the other hand, other start-up companies have started to assist marijuana retailers to do advertising. They optimize search engines. Despite all the restrictions on advertising these drugs, there is still a question on how the retailers would reach the market. The retailers claim that it is their ethical duty to make profits. However, are they going to make profits to the detriment of the whole society? Some people claim that legalizing these drugs does not mean that they should be promoted. Marijuana use is connected to both positives and negatives. On the positive side, it is linked to the ability to reduce the spread of cancer and slowing down the development of Alzheimer’s disease. On the negative side, marijuana may cause depression, memory loss, or even a lack of motivation (Michelle, 2014).
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Other Arguments for tobacco and marijuana advertising is that the sellers claim that they will only advertise to the targeted current consumers. Since the drugs have been made legal, farmers, manufacturers, and retailers should be allowed to make profits like any other business. Sellers should be treated like any other business in the market and be allowed to conducts their business freely.
Role of Different Stakeholders :
- Government: Government play’s a very important role in it. It makes regulation and influences the people, Imposes taxes, it has censorship and free speech.
- Parents: They play multiple Roles like caretakers, a role model for their children’s, influencers, Voters and consumers
- Consumers: They have the purchasing power of affecting the demand, sway the market, they have the potential to be the company’s downfall.
- Companies: The ethical burden falls upon them, for-profit firms, service/ product providers, brand values, honesty.
My opinion is that it is not ethical to advertise products like tobacco or legal marijuana. Potential side effects of Tobacco are it creates heart and blood vessel problems, causes various types of cancers, second-hand smoke risk, emphysema, etc. Advertisements are done through movies and other related ways are already enough. Therefore there is no need to keep on exposing children to the drugs. it is unethical to advertise and ads should not be allowed.
References
Michelle, U. (2014). Danielsethics.mgt.unm.edu. Retrieved 14 July 2020, from https://danielsethics.mgt.unm.edu/pdf/marijuana.pdf.