The Marijuana Policy Project, a group that played a major role in the legalization of pot in Colorado, is now spending $75,000 in a “Consume Responsibly” campaign to prevent users from doing damage to themselves (and the movement) through irresponsible drug consumption.
Mason Tvert, MPP’s communications director, explained in a statement that the campaign was intended to counter decades of “exaggeration, fear mongering, and condescension.” But, as the first billboard indicates, the campaign’s real focus is to discourage users from blowing their drug experiences, and by so doing blowing the momentum of the movement.
As Washington Post reports, the biggest problem in the marijuana business is edible marijuana, which is easy to abuse due to a lack of knowledge from many users about proper quantities and the ability to consume them anywhere, as opposed to smoking, which has its limits. One public account of a particularly bad experience came from New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, who wrote in June about her terrifying experience of eating a drug-packed candy bar.
In his statement, Tvert responded to Dowd’s article, explaining that their new campaign would help eliminate bad trips like the one she experienced:
“Like most Americans, Ms. Dowd has probably seen countless silly anti-marijuana ads on TV, but she has never seen one that highlights the need to ‘start low and go slow’ when choosing to consume marijuana edibles.”
The campaign will begin in Colorado but eventually expand to Washington and will consist of online ads, literature at retail locations, feature print ads, and billboards. The ads will direct readers to the campaign’s website, ConsumeResponsibly.org, where they can learn more about responsible drug use and current laws.
The campaign launches at noon Wednesday with a billboard in Denver that reads “Don’t let a candy bar ruin your vacation. With edibles, start low and go slow.”
