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If I write a blog post saying I like X non-approved drug, do I get arrested? What if I was paid to do it? Prohibiting advertising strays dangerously close to t
by psadauskas 16y ago
If I write a blog post saying I like X non-approved drug, do I get arrested? What if I was paid to do it?
Prohibiting advertising strays dangerously close to the 1st Amendment.
- staunch 16y agoDrugs companies were prohibited from advertising on television until not so long ago. There's even a special law: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prescription_Drug_Marketing_Act_%28PDMA%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prescription_Drug_Marketing_Act...
- roboneal 16y agoArguably, that is the crux of the 1st Amendment issue -- government regulation of speech - including that of "evil" or "unpopular" drug companies -- is a slippery slope.
- nitrogen 16y agoThe past few years seem to indicate that we're slipping up the slope, then, as what was once prohibited is now allowed, both in the case of prescription drug advertisements and corporate political speech.
- pmccool 16y agoCompare with the following phrases: Prohibiting forgery strays dangerously close... Prohibiting defamation strays dangerously close... Prohibiting Ponzi schemes strays dangerously close... I can accept that regulation of speech is inherently suspect, but not that it's inherently bad. The reasons for regulating this kind of advertising are pretty clear to me.
- jrockway 16y agoProhibiting slander, libel, and inciting imminent lawless action are also technical violations of the first amendment. Society tolerates these rules because they provide even greater value than the freedom of speech alone. In this case, I agree that prohibiting advertising is a first amendment violation. Instead, we should simply disallow all outdoor advertising and advertising that is broadcast on the publicly-owned radio spectrum.