If you think marijuana should be legal, digg this here.
Kellogg Co. today become the first major company to drop Michael Phelps over the photo that appeared of him smoking marijuana.
“”Michael’s most recent behavior is not consistent with the image of Kellogg. His contract expires at the end of February and we have made a decision not to extend his contract,” spokeswoman Susanne Norwitz said in a statement.”
1. Kellogg Co. is idiotic. Apple Jacks, Cocoa Krispies, Eggo waffles, Froot Loops (yes, you heard that right Froot Loops!), Frosted Flakes, Frosted Mini-Wheats, Cinnamon Marshmallow Scooby-Doo! cereal, Spider-Man Spidey-Berry cereal, SpongeBob SquarePants cereal (say it ain’t so!), Cheez-It crackers, Mother’s Cookies (and I’m talking pink and white frosted animals sailor!), Pop-Tarts, Rice Krispies Treats, and the list goes on. Do those idiots not realize that stoners probably make up at least 50% of their sales?
Fortunately Cap’n Crunch still remains safely owned by by Quaker Oats and their parent, our good friends over at Pepsi (whew! dodged a bullet with that one!).
2. By dropping Michael Phelps for the sole reason of smoking pot, they are making a statement that pot is bad. That pot is evil. That by extension pot ought to be criminalized. In a very public way.
Earlier this week when several of his sponsors announced that they’d be standing by him, I think Dave Winer put it best, “Glad to see some sensibility emerging. Smoking pot is like having a beer. BFD.” And that’s exactly how Kelloggs should look at this as well.
The War on Drugs has cost our country dearly. It’s cost millions of dollars to incarcerate people for doing something that is no different than imbibing in a little alcohol. Instead of legalizing pot, taking the profits away from organized crime and drug dealers, and taxing it to raise much needed revnue, the politicians (along with their friends from the alcohol lobby) would rather just keep wasting money. To this end Kellogg Co. is not part of the solution. And they are very much a part of the problem. And for this reason, as much as it pains me, I’ll be keeping away from my Froot Loops and frosted animal cookies for a while.
Hopefully someone can talk some sense into Kellogg and Co. and have them reverse this horrible decision announced today.
Update: an interesting article from Anthony Citrano. Michael Phelps Should Not Be Sorry.
Well then I think I will now have to buy grocery store brand fruit loops, because your photo gives me that craving!
you had me nodding and laughing in agreement until you quoted Dave Winer…. geez – he’s a real pillar of the community to take on moral stances
Rather than talk sense to them, we should all boycott them. Hit them where it hurts.
Besides, high fructose corn syrup is worse for you than weed and their products are full of it.
I guess they can afford to throw away the potential of 42% of the population which is the approximate percentage that tokes. I can do without Kellogg. They can’t do without us.
Lets have a boycott of ALL Kellogg products, Even when you have the munchies.
They are all, Kellogg, Post etc all religious reich-wing weirdos who developed their cereals because of their cult teachings. (Don’t believe me? Look it up.)
Sorry, TH, but I must respectfully disagree with you on this one.
Your personal opinions about the legitimacy of existing drug laws should not cloud your judgment over the illegality of Phelps’ actions.
It is illegal to smoke marijuana. Michael Phelps committed an illegal act. He is/should-be-acting-like a role model, as an Olympic athlete. Additionally, most professional sports organizations have policies against not just illegal drug use, but even some legal, but enhancing drug use.
Quite often these policies are blanket policies, so as to not permit loopholes and/or easy excuses for any possible inappropriate drug use.
I respect you as a photographer. I even respect the great majority of your opinions on a wide variety of issues. Even on this issue, I respect that you clearly have made the effort to understand the issue beyond your own desires. In spite of this, I continue to believe that you are on the wrong side of the issue.
smoking weed is not having a beer….as a doctor i can tell you that we allready have a HUGE public health problem with regular cigarets and alcohool…..so please no more ‘legalise it’ message !!!!
here at the hostpital we have a lot of psychologicaly border line teenagers that really decompensate with weed.
pot is not harmful….my brother and i used to smoke a lot and i quite earlier than him. at the end he was bored, depressive etc… pot just emphasis your mood:
– if you’re michael phelbs that just make you cool and realx
– if you’re a teenager in identity crisis that can be devastating
alcohool is legalise cause it’s cultural…cigarets is legalise cause it’s cultural….now you want pot to be legalised….next what? LSD?
really eliminate cigarettes/junkfood/alcohool and you empty half of every hostpital
Dr. Kellogg who invented corn flakes and founded Kellogg Co. was also keen advocate of sexual abstinence and campaigned against masturbation by means of mutilation of genitals among other things. The company seems to be against all fun 😉
Boycott Kellogs for dropping Phelps
http://digg.com/food_drink/Stoners_UNITE_Boycott_Kellogg
Now is a good opportunity for “Natures Path Hemp Cereal” to generate some new business…
I’m boycotting Kellogg’s too. Those hypocrites do everything they can to get little kids addicted to sugar. Yet, they judge someone for smoking pot?
Interestingly enough, I heard on the radio this morning that Kellogg’s was never in negotiations to renew their contract with him or USA swimming, so it’s not like they were going to renew him before this happened. It seems like they are just throwing him under the bus to make a statement.
How many athletes in the NFL, NBA, MLB, etc. smoke a little “magic tobacco” and are still endorsed by companies (and probably even Kellogg’s). I guess the moral of the story is don’t get caught…
Kellogg Co. has chosen to make a statement by issuing the statement specifically citing this incident. They could have even just dropped him quietly. But by making the statement about marijuana they are basically taking a position in the political battle against marijuana. Boycotting them is the most direct way to send a message back to them that you do not approve of their response in this case.
It’s hypocritical for the government to legalize alcohol and tobacco and keep pot illegal. It’s public policy and it costs the U.S. taxpayers millions.
Phelps has become an involuntary role model for the legalization of recreational marijuana — which I think is a good thing. The fact is millions of people smoke it every year and get by in life just fine. Just like millions of people drink beer every year and get by in life just fine.
It’s hypocritical, but ridding the world of hypocrisy is what you give up when you grow up, finish school, and leave the academic world, isn’t it? By saying that because we already allow tobacco, we should also allow further things that may prove to be just as harmful in the interest of further deterioration of society. We have a tradition of grandfathering past ills in order to allow a natural trail-off of the problem and avoid social hardship.
Kellogg’s is a company that maintains an image attractive to parents, who buy for their family and children. Most parents want their children to grow up to obey the laws of the land. If they had a popular spokesperson who was arrested for public drunkenness or drunk driving and the media reported it as a big ordeal, or if they had one that was the victim of a media campaign that made a big issue out of him being seen smoking a cigarette, they might react in the same way.
If this picture had appeared on a Facebook page and went no further, they wouldn’t have pushed it. It’s the image more than the act that they care about. The media made the pot-smoking thing a story and it attracted a lot of attention. He is no longer a wholesome role model for law-abiding children. The media did that more than anyone else — the notion of “role model” is all about public image. On that foundation, it seems reasonable to me that they’d drop him.
On the other hand, you never know… maybe the economy is just biting them and they needed a convenient excuse to drop an expensive spokesperson.
The “anonymous” guy above who claims to be a doctor really doesn’t spell or write like one. More likely, I think he’s a stoner.
But I agree with his point, anyway. He claims to see problems, but you can’t yet say that marijuana isn’t harmful any more than you can say that God exists or that cell phones aren’t harmful: we have no idea yet. The God one will probably never be solved, but the others are soluble with time. We don’t have enough data for the others because they haven’t been trendy for a long enough time.
My guidance suggests that inhaling smoke of any kind isn’t good for our body because it naturally tries to reject it. We have to train ourselves not to choke on it. Why would anyone think that the inhalation of smoke is a neutral activity?
Trevor, I certainly respect your opinion. But just because something is illegal doesn’t mean that it ought exclude someone from being a role model or spokesperson. We all do illegal things every day, jaywalk, don’t come to a complete stop at a stop sign, TiVo an expressly forbidden recording of a baseball game without the written consent of MLB for our own enjoyment later, etc.
The question in my mind is why were they ok with having him as a sponsor when he was arrested for drunk driving an illegal act involving alcohol, but not ok with having him as a sponsor after he smoked marijuana?
mattbg, if marijuana were legal I bet you’d see lots more ways of consuming it than smoking it. Smoking pot isn’t the only way to get high. Making healthier marijuana would be an added benefit of legalization.
But certainly cigarette smoke is far more harmful to your body than marijuana smoke, which raised the question, if cigarettes are legal, why not pot?
Thanks for the link, Thomas.
Actually Matt, what science there IS out there – what science has been allowed to be done – does show that marijuana is much less harmful than tobacco or alcohol. (Not that we’re in short supply of anecdotal evidence to support this.) You also see zero lung cancer in marijuana smokers, yet its endemic in tobacco smokers. Further, there already are lots of ways to consume cannabis without smoke (or with dramatically reduced smoke): vaporizers, water pipes, foods, etc.
And: alcohol kills about 100,000 people a year.
Now, I’m not suggesting we criminalize alcohol or tobacco – I’m just asking us to get our damn heads on straight. I swear we’re still living in the throes of “Reefer Madness”.
There is no sensible reason for a free nation to criminalize marijuana – NONE. It is based purely on ideology, superstition, racism, ignorance, and fear. That is it (read my article that Thomas kindly linked above for more).
We can either know that now, and fix our laws, or spend another 50 years destroying the lives of millions who have done nothing morally wrong. We’ll evolve into realizing this now or we will later; the only question is how many more dollars and lives we’re willing to throw into this pit.
I think pot should be legalized–but I don’t think Kelloggs was wrong to dump Phelps. Smoking is smoking, it’s bad for you. If he’s stupid enough to poison himself (an athlete) by smoking OR eating sugary cereals like those Kelloggs sells, he’s not a good role model–period.
Hell, I lost respect for the guy for signing with Kelloggs in the first place. The pot only confirms that while he’s an amazing swimmer, he’s a little slow in the brain department (which might be explained by the pot!).
But seriously, I do believe that people should have the right to smoke what ever they want–of course, I don’t think it’s smart to smoke. But if we force everyone to do ‘the right thing’ we stop having free will.
I say “boo!!” to Kelloggs. You beat me to it, Thomas, but I was going to mention, in response to Trevor’s comment, that doing something illegal shouldn’t, and in a lot of cases, doesn’t end a relationship with a celebrity and their sponsor. How many drivers are breaking the speed limit out there everyday? My, what poor role models. Drop their endorsements and lock ’em up!
On a side note, I’m probably not alone in thinking that SpongeBob himself is on something. Kelloggs might want to look into that.
I suggest donating to marijuana legalization/decriminalization efforts if you think this is a non-story and marijuana isn’t a big deal. I suggest the Marijuana Policy Project (http://mpp.org) but NORML will work as well.
I’m definitely boycotting kellogg (not that I eat breakfast too often anyway). This will be a big win for bacon and eggs 🙂
Thomas, I also believe that the trouble lies in the fact that Kellogg thought Phelps was a fine role model even though he was convicted of drunk driving but as soon as he fired up the bong, he was dropped. It may be naive to believe that we can rid the world of hypocrisy, but it is not wrong to strive for equity under the law. Similarly, if the government deems that 18 year-olds have sense enough to vote and to be in the military, it seems reasonable that an 18 year-old should be able to drink a beer.
People have been seeking altered consciousness for thousands of years. I’m not going to say whether it’s right or wrong – I will say, however, that the choices we make for our own selves should not endanger others. DUI endangers others.
Excellent post, Thomas. I wanted to share what I scribbled this morning on the train:
Boycott Kellogg’s
Why I am Boycotting Kellogg’s
By Rabbi Daniel S. Brenner
I love Special K cereal – it was my mom’s preferred brand when I was growing up (dad likes Shredded Wheat) and I continue to eat it and buy it for my kids. Two of them love it. But daddy isn’t buying it anymore.
When I heard this morning that Kellogg’s was pulling their endorsement relationship with swimmer Michael Phelps because of a photograph of him smoking marijuana I knew that it was time to find a new favorite cereal.
I have strong feelings on this issue for a personal reason. One of my close friends from childhood wrestled with a drug addiction and because he purchased drugs, he ended up in Federal prison. Hundreds of thousands of our tax dollars went to imprisoning him – a non-violent and generally productive member of society – not to mention the devoted father to his young son. What he needed, desperately, was treatment. Instead, our society continues to send the message that if you try drugs, even relatively mild drugs, you should be barred from employment and treated as a pariah. This is the very message that Kellog’s is sending today.
But my real anger on this issue comes from another direction.
Thirteen years ago one of my friends was killed by a drunk driver. She was visiting her mom and went out with a group of her friends from high school. She was in the back seat of a small car when a drunk driver rear ended them. She was in a coma for two days before she died.
When Phelps was arrested for DUI, Kellogg’s did not think that this was reason to not have him as a spokesman?
Kellogg’s should immediately release a statement explaining why drunk driving was acceptable in their eyes and smoking marijuana is a reason for someone to lose their job. Until they explain their position, I encourage everyone to buy other cereals and to let the Kellogg’s corporation know that their public message is rotting our sense of responsibility and morality the way that Frosted Flakes is rotting the teeth of our children.
I will not be not be purchasing ANY Kelloggs Products due to the fact that they have shunned Mr. Phelps. Human beings make mistakes and therefore life goes on. Kelloggs on the other hand assumed a HOLIER THAN THOU attitude and tried to reduce Mr. Phelps by setting themselves apart from the “marijuana pipe smoker” … I think that perhaps Kelloggs should realize that it wasn’t their cereal that created the success for Mr. Phelps and not only that… He will go on to be successful without Kelloggs Company. As for me and my family…. we won’t be purchasing anything with the Kellogg brand name as a result of their decision…. an by the way I don’t smoke marijuana – and I’m quite certain that Mr Phelps will continue on with his success without Kelloggs. I will definitely encourage all my acquaintances, family and friends not to purchase Kelloggs Products considering they are far to fine of a company to allow Mr Phelps to represent their perfect establishment. Pfffft… I see major losses in the Kelloggs arena.
I totally agree with the alcohol analogy. It should be legalized with sobriety tests and the whole nine yards. Keeping this illegal is just supporting the new mafia. That’s why, just like in the 30’s, if you do partake these days you’re quite possible handing your supplier BLOOD MONEY! Have you seen what’s going on with our border?. Wake up! Know it’s origin as a FACT and don’t just hand out money. Please. As for Kellogg’s, no athlete should ever sign with these clowns anyway.
I think the huge irony here is that Kellogg trades in cereals. As much as they have tried to bore into the collective subconscious that breakfast cereals are healthy, they are not. Sugary cereals are playing a role in the rising levels of childhood obesity and diabetes. It’s a case of the kettle calling the pot, black. And yes, pun very intended.
Kellogg’s main crime here is hypocrisy.
marijuana is not as dangerous as the dairy milk that is put on Kellegg’s cerals.
The logical people of this country need to take a stand-and drive the point home that we find marijuana no more harmful than alcohol. And frankly it should be legal.
Someone set up just to keep people updated on the results of the Boycott – check it out:
http://thekelloggboycott.com/
I learned that Kashi is apparently a Kellogg brand- bummer
Hi Thomas:
Perhaps you should live in a country like mine , Mexico , maybe, you can realize how stupid are the things you are saying.
Since when smoking pot is like having a beer?
Do you REALLY think that drug lords will pay taxes for it?? thats funny man, why should they,, if they can operate as they do now , without paying taxes and getting more profit.
Just last year there were at least 5000 executed people so people like Phelps can get high.
I really think that you are a really good photographer but with this things you are seriously wrong. Perhaps we should make a boycott againts you, if you are not part of the solution , you are part of the problem and thinking like that, you really are part of the problem.
I am with you 100%. I was a cop in 1994, approximately my 9th year on the force. I was set up by my ex who wanted to destroy my career. They did a sting and raided my house w/o a warrant. Warrantless search and seizure. They found a few roaches. I was charged with SALES!! Ultimately, the PD and DA could not hold their case together and the charge was dropped to simple “possession” , but what a joke. I was forced to resign, was not offered rehab, like a male officer would have got, and I had to leave the department. I also lost custody of my young son for 7 months, (like the first mother in California to lose custody simply for a simple marijuana charge!!) lost my retirement, lost my 2 homes, and it took me 14 years to recover from all those losses due to that arrest. I continue to use medicinal marijuana for the myriad of serious medical problems and injuries I incurred while a cop, but I do so legally, having got my medical marijuana Rx some 8 years ago. I carry the expensive State of California Medical Marijuana Patient ID card, that is the gold standard of cards (there is also the County of Alameda card), and the State card is recognized by all California law enforcement, and supposedly, I will not get in any legal trouble since I have that card, according to SB 420 and the latest Attorney General Decision that was handed down this summer. I support all efforts to legalize marijuana, and to end the drug war in general. I recently became a member of LEAP, law enforcement for legalization of drugs. And I have been a contributing member of MPP and Safe Access for years.
a company that makes food products of dubious nutritional value has taken it upon itself point fingers of false morality at people who do no harm to others.
first kelloggs advocated deterrents to masturbation and routine male genital mutilation, now it champions this misguided war on drugs.
i will no longer buy the few kellogg’s products i have bought in the past — and i’ll probably be healthier for it.
For the record, I would have supported Kellogg’s decision to drop him for the DUI too.
I completely agree with this article. Kellogg’s doesn’t deserve to be the judge of someone’s moral character… So what if he hit a bong? It’s not the end of the world, people need to get over this situation. He’s a kid, he experimented. He’s a great swimmer, he didn’t ask to be a role model to your kids. So stick that in your pipe & smoke it.
-Lauren
i feel for the people of countries where pot is grown illegally and causes so many problems.legalize it and grow your own! the social problems would largely disappear with that. anyway, this is about kellog’s bad attitude towards something that could have been handled much more coolly, especially considering the man apologised. there for the glory but not for a problem? hmmmm… did kellogs sponsor him or support his goals on his way to olympic gold? anyway, they are fools because many people know the difference between hard and soft drug offences and know an over-reaction when they see one. look what happened with rob rebagliatti. if you’re canadian you’ll remember the farce that happened several years ago…
i dont care if you smoke pot, but srsly, if you’re that pissed that a company doesn’t want to be associated with people that do illegal things i think the marijuana has gotten the better of you.
its just like firing someone that stole a little money, or someone that violated health code. its just something they have to do to keep the right image. I’m sure you’d do something like that yourself. like not wear that shitty sweater your gramma got you. shame on you. by doing that you’re a hypocrite and a monster because you wear other sweaters.
Leave the guy alone! It’s a friggin PLANT. No distilling, chemical adulteration, It’s a PLANT, like Dill, Parsley, Henbane, Hemlock, Deadly nightshade, tobacco….In many States in the country, what Mike did was not a crime. And that should be the norm. With Hemlock and Deadly nightshade, I could make a deadly poison in my kitchen,…..but those plants are not illegal. What a colossal waste of taxpayers money has been wasted on the “war on drugs”. You can still go into ANY high school in the country and choose the kind of weed you want to buy. LEGALIZE it, tax it, take the crime and illegality out of it, and GET OVER IT! Alcohol is a far worse drug, the original “gateway drug”…and what about caffeine? The commercials tell us “America runs on Dunkin”….America chills on weed……and a cold beer.
Good bye to Kelloggs. What a shame. A talented young man makes ONE mistake and Kelloggs bails on him! NOT IMPRESSED!!
well they are a kids cereal company sooo….
If his contract was already expiring then they could have just chosen not to use him again. There was no need to come out with a high profile public statement at the height of the scandal that insults a huge segment of their customer base. If I had stock in Kellogg Co. I’d drop it for the sole reason that its executives are clearly morons, no matter what side of the pot issue I was on!
Oh Please! Marijuana has been the target of bogus science for over 60 years. All of the real medical studies ever done have only proven that “pot” isn’t bad for you at all. Corn syrup, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, corn starch, food starch, and modified food starch, are all by-products of a grain that has been used for centuries to fatten up animals for slaughter.
Prior to the great depression, very few people ate corn. Why? Because, they knew that corn was bad for people to eat, because it causes excess weight gain. I can remember before the days when all of the additives I’ve listed were common in foods. People were thin, well most were. Now look around! There are hugely obese people everywhere! These are the unsuspecting victims of the food processing giants spewing poison for the sake of profit.
I already actively boycott everything Kellogs makes, because any of it would kill me, if I ate it.
All of that aside, Kellogs is about as stupid as they come anyway. Pot smokers are the consumer base that Kellogs depends on. Only a complete fool bites the hand that feeds them.
the anonymous guy who claims to be a doctor does not sound or spell like one cause english is not is natural language …. period
http://boycott-kelloggs.com/ – sign the online petition to show your support!
Interesting article about a possible Marijuana testicular cancer link http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7869709.stm?lss
Look at all of the pot smoking losers coming out of the woodwork. Dude, pot is harmless. It should be legal. You fucking idiots. Do your research and see just how harmful it is.
Phelps is just another arrogant US athlete. Fucking drug cheat should hand his medals back.
Regardless of opinion – marijuana use is illegal. Boycotting Kellogg’s makes no sense whatsoever. Contact your Congressperson – change the stupid law.
What a stupid reason to boycott Kellogg’s. If I owned a company and were sponsoring someone that something like this happened I would drop sponsorship too. It reflects on your company. Regardless if you think smoking pot is ok or not it’s still illegal and look bad on any public figure doing it. In turn no one is going to want to sponsor you if you are doing something illegal.
alcohol and cigarettes kill people. weed doesn’t. everything the government and it’s agencies has ever said about marijuana is a lie, and now that research about the benifits of marijuana are surfacing, our polititians are too scared to lose their seats by changing marijuana legislation. if phelps tokes then that’s none of your damn business. i really wish micheal phelps didn’t wimp out and apologize for smoking pot, too bad he’s a fucking tool.
Did anyone mention that Subway is specifically NOT dropping Phelps over this? Which company has made more of an effort to promote a healthy, responsible lifestyle? On one side, Tony the Tiger loading little kids up with various sugars and additives…on the other, Jared telling people they can lose weight and get a few actual nutrients in their fast food…
I’m glad these stoners are at least attempting something like this. Don’t get me wrong, I smoke weed, but the real benefit of this boycott is that Kellogg’s will be that much less powerful. Several members of the Kellogg family are in Skull & Bones, the most powerful secret society in the world, whose members also include many past presidents including both Bushes. Time to wake up.
Personally I am boycotting all Kellog’s products because they’re unhealthy, to protest the unjust marijuana laws, and to voice my support for Michael Phelps.
There is a line between indulgence and abuse, but that is same with any substance, fuck take 10g of aspirin and you’ll never wake up again; watch tv and eat Kellog’s products everyday and you’ll be a brain-dead fat-ass intolerant cunt within a couple years. My point is everything can be abused, even marijuana, but if you live in moderation and respect responsible people’s choices then the world will become healhtier and happier.
Responsible marijuana use includes the following:
(1 Minimum Age to obtain/grow/use marijuana.
(2) Not using marijuana at job/school.
(3) Respecting other people’s choice not to use MJ or inhale my 2nd hand smoke/vapor.
(4) Moderation.
-By following these rules I see no possibility of my “choice” having an adverse effect on the lives of others, so please respect your fellow man and stop this senseless war. Legalize, regulate, tax.
Live and let live, peace….
well i think i need to buy my fruit loops. seeing the pictures of it makes me craving. lol!
Yes pot is just like drinking some alcohol beverages. Why can they just legalize using marijuana..
its not whether or not they think pot is bad or not, its whether their customers do. parents aren’t going to want to buy from a company that endorses someone who smokes weed whether or not it should be legal. i personally think it should be. do you think they would have pulled their support if he had an alcohol binge?
btw, myself and many of my swimming friends see him decently often around the pool here at UM and trust me, he’s a dick. he’s really full of himself.