The smoke has cleared, yet a suspicious odor still lingers in the air. Representatives from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Foundation (NORML) are inhaling a sigh of relief. In the end, the marijuana legalization flag is set to fly high above Times Square.

First it was on, then it was off, and now it is back on again. A 15-second digital ad promoting the financial benefits of marijuana legalization is scheduled to debut in New York City’s Times Square next week. Produced and paid for by NORML’s educational arm, the ad evokes the organization’s message that “money can grow on trees.”

“Regulating the adult use of marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol could raise over $30 billion annually in new tax revenue, while saving an additional $15 billion per year in law enforcement costs,” NORML Foundation Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said. “This tax season, why not ask your elected politicians why the federal government continues to spends billions of tax dollars enforcing this failed and archaic public policy.”

In January, CBS and the NORML Foundation entered into an agreement to air the ‘Money Tree’ ad on the media company’s digital billboard on 42nd Street. That agreement, however, was short lived. Prior to the campaign’s launch on February 1, 2010, CBS abruptly pulled the ad from its schedule. CBS stated that the ad’s content did not comply with the network’s outdoor advertising standards. At that time, it appeared that the NORML Foundation’s ad would never shine brightly in Times Square.

If not for an online petition organized by political advocacy organization Change.org, demanding that CBS reverse its decision, NORML would likely have been smoked out of Times Square. Thanks to the nearly 10,000 people that signed the petition, CBS changed its stance on the advertisement.

To view the 15-second ad that will run in Times Square, click continue reading. Continue reading