New Mint Candy Looks Like Drugs

Typically, I'd just laugh at a story like this. However, I'm going to have to agree with the police complaint on this one. Now, the picture is a little misleading - the 'packet' is actually two dissoluble strips, like the Listerine strips.

Step 1: Make a product that looks like drugs.

Step 2: Public outrage over product that creates free publicity causing candy to sells like, er, candy because its being removed from the shelves.

Step 3: Profit.

Case study: One particular energy drink that has a got a song by Eric Clapton!

In December 2006, a group of law students representing Americans for Drug Free Youth and the Progressive Intellectual Property Law Association filed an objection to Redux Beverage's filing for a trademark on the Cocaine name, on the basis that was immoral.^[3]

It contained three and a half times as much caffeine as the leading energy drink, Red Bull, as demonstrated on the label with "Energy Level:" followed by three and a half bull heads. The label also boasted 750 milligrams of taurine, another common ingredient found in many energy drinks.

On May 5th, 2007, Cocaine was pulled from U.S. shelves as a result of the FDA's decision that Cocaine was "illegally marketing their drink as an alternative to street drugs". Redux Beverages began working on a new name for the product immediately. At the end of May, 2007, the Redux team decided to change the name to "No Name:" energy drink, with the new can label featuring a large blank space for fans to write their chosen name for the drink. On June 17th, 2007, the drink was redistributed in the U.S. under the new label.

And then there's my favorite from when I was a kid -

Candy Cancer Sticks. They were the best when it was cold outside, because then you really looked like the Old Man havin' a smoke.

By the way, why the hell was Popeye selling candy cigarettes? The sailor smoked a pipe for cryin' out loud. That's dumber than selling tasty candy cigarettes to babies.

You could use a sucker, but you could chomp down on the candy smoke to simulate the progression of tar and nicotine into your little virgin lungs.

Frankly, no one should be surprised by the appeal of making candy or non-drugs marketed as drugs. And then there's the other side of this story - making drugs to look like candy... you know, don't take candy from a stranger, and also on a kitchy marketing campaign. I mean I dig the Photoshop work, guys - but -




I've never understood this, because I'm with Chris Rock. He says, "It's not like there's some drug dealer sitting around goin' 'how'm I gonna' sell all of these drugs!?'"

Are you going for the Topp's 'Wacky Packs' retro thing here? Is it really necessary to do this to sell your wares? I don't know, but the DEA posted it all - and you can bet that the nice folks in Battle Creek (Kellogg's) didn't like it too much either. The Jones people, however, probably dug the publicity?