Marijuana Legalization Advocacy Group Leading in Contest for Super Bowl Ad

A marijuana legalization advocacy group currently has the highest number of votes in a contest in which the winner will have their ad produced and submitted for broadcast during the Super Bowl.

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) is leading in the online contest sponsored by Intuit, according to the Daily News. According to NORML, the group has advanced to Round 2 of the contest. Entries deemed finalists from this round will be informed on October 29th.

“Intuit leadership is surely wringing their collective hands over the matter,” brand analyst Peter Madden told CNBC. “Though marijuana isn’t as taboo a subject since its legal approval in varying states, it is the equivalent to a scarlet letter — albeit one tainted green — that their brand is now forced to wear. Such is the danger to brands who go the contest route.”

The decision about whether the ad would air would be made by FOX, the network that will broadcast the Super Bowl.

Earlier this month, the Marijuana Policy Project posted a billboard ad across from Denver’s football stadium. The ad urged the National Football League to “Stop Driving Players to Drink.” Referring to Colorado’s new marijuana legalization law, the ad notes, “A safer choice is now legal (here).”

This summer, the same group briefly ran a video ad promoting the legalization of marijuana, on a screen outside a NASCAR event at the Indiana Motor Speedway. It was pulled several hours after it began running.