Top 10 Worst Anti-Drug Commercials

So, is the message here “don’t use drugs or a small monster will attach itself to your leg”? Maybe or maybe not, but it’s kind of hard to tell. One of the main rules of making a successful commercial is being able to get the intended message across to the audience. Whether this ad, brought to you by the non-profit Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, is seriously misguided or just really weird, it clearly doesn’t do a good job of presenting its message to TV viewers.

Maybe this PSA by Partnership for a Drug Free America was pretty cool back in the day when Will Smith ruled the small screen as “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” during the ‘90s, but… we kind of doubt it. Anyway, in their Fresh Prince-styled take on using music to discourage drug use, these performers, in trying to put the “straight” into “straight” up just ended up with an ad that’s straight up corny.

This was one of the more well-known anti-drug ads during the 1980s. While it reached a large audience and boasted a memorable catchphrase, this particular PSA may have been more effective at inspiring scores of hilarious parodies than in keeping kids off drugs. With overacting that brings to mind an “After School Special,” the commercial has made the transition from punch line to relic. And it’s hopelessly stuck in the era of “Just Say No” and big hair.

More like a brief and painfully slow lecture than an ad that’s meant to attract the viewer’s attention, this PSA features a tiny bit of information about crack and then concludes with the statement that “Smoking crack is like putting a gun in your mouth and pulling the trigger.” A more relevant ending might have involved asking if anyone was still watching. The spot gets its point across, but the absence of any visual or musical extras prevents it from “selling” its position, usually a requirement in effective advertising.

This ad featured a frying egg, and was supposed to be a warning about what viewers could expect to happen to their brains from drug use. While it wasn’t intended to remind viewers that they needed to buy eggs or inspire an unshakable urge to visit the nearest diner that serves breakfast all day, these were common results. A more effective but less well-known, and less appetizing, sequel from the late ‘90s featured actress Rachael Leigh Cook demolishing a kitchen with a frying pan in order to represent the brain on heroin.

Where most of the world saw tragedy in the events of 9/11, the folks that create anti-drug ads saw something different – opportunity. That seems to be where this PSA came from, and why it stops just short of calling potheads terrorists. Though it doesn’t specifically reference any particular drug, considering the fairly high percentage of people who seem to buy their weed from high school dropouts who’ve turned a bedroom closet or spare bathroom into a makeshift greenhouse - the connection to terrorist organizations here is likely overestimated.

Poor Pee-wee Herman; while his later arrest for enjoying himself a little too much during an X-rated movie made him infamous and derailed his career for the better part of two decades, his arrest for marijuana merely resulted in a badanti-drug PSA. From the weird lighting to Paul Reubens’ dead-pan delivery, a more effective message may be that crack is bad because it makes a person boring. Now, if only Pee-wee had been required to make a PSA for that movie theater incident...

Ever been around a really bad person who suddenly morphed into a snake? Didn’t think so, but life must be different for the people who create anti-drug ads; this spot is based on the concept of a drug dealer turning into a dangerous, albeit well-dressed, viper. This particular PSA was probably much more effective for would-be drug users who were afraid of snakes than for those who had pet boas, though.

It’s understandable that an anti-drug PSA would want to show kids that they can stand up to anyone who tries to pressure them in to using drugs, but this ad unjustly maligns innocent parties in the process. Dissing poultry in order to get an anti-drug message across to the grade school set is simply uncalled for. In fact, when we watch this commercial, we feel like asking the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles what our fine-feathered friends ever did to them.

Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- This Is What We Do
- Slow for a Month
- Live Above Weed
- Penny
- Marijuana Is Harmless

This cringe-worthy anti-drug ad attempted to address the African-American community specifically by comparing druguse to slavery. The spot is complete with chained people on ships, tribal sounding background music, and cruel whip-wielding overseers that bring to mind a Civil War documentary rather than a reminder to stay away from drugs. When the glib phrasing - new slavery - that’s normally used to refer to fashion is considered, it further contributes to the ad’s insulting nature.

Do you agree with our list? What do you think is the worst anti-drug ad out there? For more fascinating Top 10s every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.