Colorado launches Campaign to Educate People about Marijuana
The use of marijuana has been increasing rapidly in Colorado. According to a United States anti-marijuana group, the number of teens treated every year for accidental pot consumption in the state has reached double-digits.
To make residents and tourists aware about marijuana and its safe-usage, Colorado has been going to start a campaign 'Good to Know'. The $5.7 million campaign has started hitting newspapers, magazines, airwaves and the Internet. In 2014, the state had legalized the sales of recreational marijuana for adults.
Dr. Larry Wolk, Colorado's chief medical officer and Department of Public Health and Environment's director, said that the campaign's main motive is to educate people on how to responsibly use marijuana.
In the past, Washington and Colorado have provided people limited education about the drug. Colorado's 'Good to Know' campaign is the first effort by either state to tell people about the laws and regulations. At present, only Washington and Colorado have recreational marijuana systems in place, but voters from Oregon and Alaska have also approved recreational marijuana systems.
According to Wolk, "The campaign targets teens, tourists, Latinos and even breastfeeding women, who may be unaware that THC, the part of marijuana that gets people high, can, cross through the placenta".
Funding for the campaign has come from tax paid by customers buying marijuana at the state's legal marijuana stores. Public health officials of the state have devised the message for the campaign after consultation with marijuana retailers.
Last year, the state had started 'Don't Be a Lab Rat' campaign to prevent children from using marijuana. That time, the campaign had featured huge cages and some education materials to warn children about the potential for stunted brain growth. The campaign was criticized by some people who stated that the cages used in the campaign resembled jail cells.
According to Wolk, the new campaign is bright and helpful.
