Rep. DeLuca Resorts To Egg Trick To Just Say No To Marijuana

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL — A recreational marijuana bill is heading to Gov. JB Pritzker's desk after the Illinois House passed a bill after three hours of debate. But Rep. Anthony DeLuca of Chicago Heights voiced his displeasure over the measure by pulling out a tactic from a 1987 playbook.

"You see this?" he held up an egg. "This is your brain."

DeLuca held up a pan and cracked an egg into it. "There it is, folks. This is your brain on drugs."

He was referring to famous video from the Just Say No anti-drug campaign and the Partnership For A Drug-Free America from the late 1980s and early 1990s. The point, of course, is to show that drugs fry your brain. The effectiveness of anti-drug public service campaigns is unclear, research shows.

DeLuca took quite a bit of ribbing on Twitter and in the house.

"I’m having DARE flashbacks," one statehouse reporter wrote.

Fellow Democrat Rep. Bob Morgan of Deerfield quipped he wished the egg had been used in a "nice soufflé " instead of the "ridiculous" bill.

But during the debate, DeLuca held his ground.

"So today for my family, for my children, for your family, of your children, and especially for African American and Hispanic communities, vote no,” he urged lawmakers.

He did not get his wish.

To be fair, the trope is not so outdated. It was resurrected in 2016, this time aimed at adults.

Thanks to Hannah Meisel for letting us share her tweet.