AN advertisement for a what's-on guide which urged readers to inject some fun into their lives should not have included an image of a hypodermic syringe and needle, the industry watchdog has ruled.
An entertainment mailing from the Inverness City Advertiser (ICA), titled "whatsonhighlands", stated "... the weekly fix ... A new way to keep up to date with what's on - and where to go, brought to you by: ica/whatsonhighlands.com ... Inject some fun into your life, sign up today ..." the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said.
The ad also featured an image of a full hypodermic syringe and needle.
Five complainants claimed the advert was irresponsible and likely to cause serious or widespread offence.
ICA said it had received around 12 complaints about the advert and had decided not to publish it again or use imagery that could be seen as drugs paraphernalia.
It had taken that decision not because it considered the ad was irresponsible, but because it did not want to cause offence
The ASA upheld the complaints, saying the needle and syringe alongside the text "weekly fix" and "inject" was likely to imply recreational and illegal drug use and must not appear again in that form.
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