Village that prides itself on being drug-free doesn't like pot leaf billbo

[matcom]

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A billboard company with advertisements that feature a marijuana leaf decided Thursday to pull the ads because the images irked several residents and community officials in Weston.

"I think to drive down Schofield Avenue in the village of Weston, a community that prides itself on being safe and drug-free, it's a little daunting to see that big marijuana leaf staring back at you," Weston Village Administrator Dean Zuleger said.

Three billboards for the Linehan Law Office show a large marijuana leaf with "420" on it. At the bottom, the billboard reads "Use of a controlled substance can restrict your liberties."
About 10 to 15 residents have called Zuleger to complain in the two weeks since the billboards went up.

"The public opinion in Weston is that the billboard glorifies the use of marijuana," Zuleger said. "Police officers are trying to combat drug use and feel it's counterproductive."
After speaking with Zuleger on Thursday about the complaints, Bill Mitchell of Lamar Advertising said he decided to remove the ads. At least one of the billboards was down as of Thursday evening.

"I decided that it wasn't good for the community," said Mitchell, general manager of Lamar Advertising in Marshfield.

Another official who thought the billboards should come down was Everest Metro Police Chief Dan Vergin.

"It looks like Linehan Law Office is promoting the use of drugs," he said.

The number, 420, is part of the marijuana culture, although there are many definitions of its meaning. Steven Hager, editor of High Times magazine, the Cigar Afficionado of marijuana users, said in a 2002 interview the term originated with a group of teenagers in San Rafael, Calif., in 1971. They used it to refer to the time they'd meet after school to smoke pot, and it morphed into a code for marijuana they could use to talk about it front of adults.

http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/wdhlocal/284359825895420.shtml