In October 2018, Canada legalized marijuana. Driving whilst high on marijuana, however, remained very much illegal. But with the increased availability of marijuana and a prevailing mind-set that driving high was less risky and more socially acceptable than driving drunk, authorities feared an uptick in dangerous driving. The government of Ontario came to us with the objective: get people, young men in particular, to understand that driving while high, like driving drunk, was dangerous, illegal and could land you in serious trouble with the law.

Each spot starts with a shot of someone who appears focused and calm. As the camera pans, however, we see that there is something, not totally off, but a little odd. A man in a dress shirt is seated, rubbing his toes into a shag carpet; another man wearing headphones moves- just slightly- to the music; a woman looking in the mirror has eyeliner smeared down her face; and a man, intently focused on his ramen noodles, giggles as he bounces them on his fork. A voice over in first person comes on revealing the toe rubbing, the botched “smokey eye,” the indistinct hip shakes and the giggles, as cues that they are each barely high. These weird, but not overt, behaviours are toned-down versions of the things they do when they are really high. A super appears: “Barely high is still too high to drive. The risks are real.”