Sexual reference on billboard is offensive

If you commute to work on the Addams Expressway - or have otherwise driven eastbound on I-90 from the Northwest Suburbs over the past several months, there's a good chance you've seen a billboard encouraging the consumption of liquid cannabis and its proclamation that it is "better than sex."

As a licensed clinical psychologist, an addiction specialist and a parent, I find this billboard deeply disturbing for several reasons.

Billboards like this strip from parents their right to decide when, where and how they want to discuss sensitive concepts related to sex and drugs with their children. The dynamic colors and eye-catching design can easily capture the attention of young readers as early as kindergarten, prompting curiosity and a line of questioning well beyond their comprehension. The business that funds this billboard has essentially mandated when and where parents discuss these topics with their children, but also that they address them in the context of sex and drugs as pleasurable constructs.

What's most disturbing to me is that this type of advertising is not permitted for products deemed to be public health hazards, such as tobacco or alcohol. Why, then, are cannabis companies given such wide latitude? The discretion displayed on this billboard pales in comparison to even adult shops selling sex toys and pornography. We have to do better.

This billboard is a stark reminder that it's time for the state of Illinois to regulate public ads in a way that promotes public health and returns consent to parents, particularly when it comes to discussing topics such as intoxicating drug use and sexual pleasure with their children.

There is a time and a place for these important discussions and an unexpected, slapdash explanation over road noise on the expressway isn't one of them.

Aaron Weiner

Lake Forest