Twin Peaks Set Decoration – “The Odds Are That Marijuana…” Poster at the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Department

I have previously discussed several of the anti-drugs and alcohol posters found on the set of the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Department. These include the “Mom and Dad, I Use Drugs” poster along with several Reader’s Digest Foundation Drunk Driving posters. There is one additional poster opposite the “Mom and Dad” poster in the hallway just outside the conference room. It was an anti-marijuana poster that was part of the Media-Advertising Partnership for a Drug-Free America campaign with Reader’s Digest.

PARTNERSHIP FOR A DRUG-FREE AMERICA ANTI-DRUG MEDIA CAMPAIGN

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, known today as the Partnership to End Addiction, is a nonprofit organization that aims to prevent the misuse of illegal drugs. Founded by Phillip Joanou in 1985 with a $300,000 grant from the Associated Advertising Agencies of America, the Partnership “created, aired, printed, skywritten and song-and-danced some $2 billion worth of anti-drug public service messages” (“Can You Just Say No?” by Pamela Warrick, The Los Angeles Times, Aug. 30, 1996). The most notable TV ad they created was This Is Your Brain on Drugs.

Dick Capen, former chairman and publisher of The Miami Herald from 1983 to 1989, wrote about this public service campaign in the “Publisher’s Perspective” column on Apr. 5, 1987. This was one of the first looks at the “Mom and Dad / I Use Drugs” ads. Capen said the program was launched in late March that year with more than 200 advertising agencies working together “to research and to design, produce and distribute public-service messages for media use.” The nonprofit Partnership asked electronic media to donate $500 million of public-service time and space from 1987-1990. This anti-drug campaign continued being used until at least 1999.

The Partnership changed its name in 2010 to Partnership at DrugFree.org. From 2014 to 2020, they were known as Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. Their approach to conveying anti-drugs and alcohol messaging also evolved over the years, moving from broadcast media to parental outreach.

“THE ODDS ARE THAT MARIJUANA…” POSTER

In Twin Peaks episode 1.001, Sheriff Harry S. Truman and Special Agent Dale Cooper are seen walking down the hall inside the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Department. They pass a bulletin board which contains poster and advertisements. One poster looks like a handgun being loaded with something.

This is the poster seen in the episode that was part of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America’s campaign. It shows a handgun being loaded with a marijuana joint with two sentences – “The odds are that marijuana won’t ruin your life. And that Russian roulette won’t kill you.”

The poster was one of six posters available from Reader’s Digest. They were designed to enlist volunteers in the Media-Advertising Partnership for a Drug-Free America’s ware on drugs. People could purchase these set of six 18-inch x 25-inch posters for $7.00 by writing to Reader’s Digest magazine in Pleasantville, New York.

The poster was designed by Philadelphia-based N. W. Ayer & Son, an advertising agency founded in 1869 who once called itself the oldest advertising agency in the United States. Named by Francis Ayer after his father N. W. Ayer, it ventured into advertising in 1884. The company created a number of memorable slogans for firms such as De Beers, AT&T and the U.S. Army. The company started to decline in the 1960s and, after a series of mergers, they closed in 2002. Remaining assets were sold to the Publicis Groupe.

APPEARANCES IN TWIN PEAKS

The poster appears a handful of times during Twin Peaks. After being seen in episode 1.001, it appears briefly in episode 1.006 when Agent Cooper and Deputy Hawk slowly approach the conference room after hearing a gun shot.

In episode 2.003, you can see it as the law enforcement team leaves the conference room.

You can see part of the poster behind Sheriff Truman, Deputy Hawk and Agent Cooper listen to Leland Palmer discuss his childhood memories in episode 2.003.

When Special Agent Albert Rosenfield speaks with Deputy Dale in episode 2.016, they both walk by the poster in the hall.

You can find other identified props and set decoration from Twin Peaks on this dedicated page.