'Stoner Sloth' Campaign Is Peak Anti-Marijuana Absurdity

This is either the worst anti-drug campaign we’ve seen, or the very best.

“Stoner Sloth” is a series of videos purportedly meant to illustrate the horrors of marijuana to impressionable teens. The videos star people in large sloth costumes struggling through various life events due to how high they are. At the end of each ad -- after the featured sloth has had trouble in class or embarrassed itself at dinner -- the tagline “You’re Worse On Weed” is plastered across the screen.

The whole thing is reportedly the work of Australia’s New South Wales Department of Premier and Cabinet. The videos are not a joke, the department reportedly confirmed to Australian media outlet The New Matilda. (The New Matilda does publish some satire, but this story was not marked with a "satire" tag.)

“The campaign is designed to appeal to, and be ‘shareable’ among, teenagers, who are some of the most vulnerable to cannabis use,” a statement said, according to The New Matilda. “We know that younger audiences respond more to campaigns highlighting the short-term consequences of their actions.”

Mashable determined via a WHOIS search that the department is listed as the registrant for the Stoner Sloth site.

The department did not immediately return The Huffington Post's request for comment.

Marijuana possession is illegal in Australia, though penalties vary from state to state. In New South Wales, someone found possessing or using marijuana can potentially be fined up to $2,200 AU (around $1,500 USD) and given a jail sentence of up two years, according to the NSW Police Force.

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