No Drugs Ice Cream

Russian producer Ramzai launched a new brand of ice cream “Our response – no to drugs!” (Наш ответ – наркотикам нет!) with poppy-seed. This is a joint project together with Russian Drugs Control Agency (Gosnarkokontrol). The rationale of the project – it’s too expensive to place billboards around the city with the very same slogan. I personally don’t understand how consumption of poppy-seed ice cream can reduce drug abuse. Do they mean it helps rehabilitation? Ramzai planned to sale about 100 tons of this brand a month but I never saw it in Moscow stores. Most probably it’s been completely sold out to junkies.

This is not the first case of “anti-drugs” ice cream marketing in this country. In 2003 in Rostov-on-Don (Russia) feds arrested a consignment of Ukrainian ice cream named “Your Dose of Hemp” (Твоя конопляная доза) containing – surprise! – not a single molecule of hemp. Its producer Laska (Kirovograd, Ukraine) argued that it actually advocated abstinence from drugs and that Ukrainian DEA had nothing against it. But Russian Gosnarkokontrol managed to prove in court that the ice cream name and package could encourage drug abuse as many people believe hemp and cannabis are synonyms. Even if the feds had lost they could start another legal action immediately – to sue Laska for deceitful advertising. What do you mean – a hempless dose of hemp? Link (in Russian).

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