Pro-Marijuana Group Draws Criticism for 'Buddie' Mascot

There have been mixed reactions to “Buddie” the mascot, a buff superhero with a green cannabis bud for a head, but a major source of discontent is that it’s marketing marijuana to children.

ResponsibleOhio, which placed marijuana legalization on the Nov. 3 ballot, posted a photo of Buddie, who they describe as a crime-fighting scientist, on Facebook last Tuesday. Buddie is part of a social media campaign targeting millennials, according to ResponsibleOhio spokeswoman, Faith Oltman, and will only visit college campuses to promote “Buddie’s 21 and Up Club.”

Reactions to Buddie’s Facebook debut have ranged from amused college students beckoning Buddie and the Green Rush Bus Tour to their campuses (“Lol! Come to Cleveland state”), to people drawing comparisons between Buddie and Joe Camel, saying it’s blatantly marketing to children.

“ResponsibleOhio has placed a lot of emphasis on the 21 and over piece of their amendment but then comes out with a mascot styled after a superhero? It’s a pretty shameless attempt to entice young people,” Jen Detwiler, spokeswoman for Ohioans Against Marijuana Monopolies, told Cleveland.com.

The campaign is set to visit more than 150 cities and colleges around the state to get "college students excited about Issue 3." The Green Rush Bus Tour visited Miami University last month, where Buddie, decked out in a fresh lab coat, posed for photos with students and locals.

Ohioans will vote whether to legalize marijuana in the state on Nov. 3. If they vote yes, Ohio will be the sixth state to legalize marijuana, joining Colorado, Washington, Alaska, and the District of Columbia.

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