Quite possibly the world’s first public service announcement on marijuana to feature hoedown music launched Monday on radio stations across Colorado, part of a new campaign that state health officials hope will educate — not alienate — marijuana consumers about responsible use.
The new effort, called the “Good to Know” campaign, is the state’s first public-education campaign to be paid for out of recreational marijuana tax dollars. What really sets the “Good to Know” campaign apart, though, is its almost playful tone.
Typical government-backed messages on marijuana feature ominous music and images. The “Good to Know” campaign, by contrast, uses bright colors and rhyming messages. (Sample: “For those underage, it’s just not OK. Their brains are still growing, so keep it away.”) The radio ads use a folksy narrator backed by what sounds like square dance music. Dr. Larry Wolk, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, described the tone as “neighborly.”
The ads are part of Colorado’s changing calculations on how to talk about marijuana. The campaign seeks to relay basic information about Colorado’s marijuana laws, such as the prohibition on public pot use or the ban on giving marijuana to kids.
The “Good to Know” campaign is targeted broadly at adults and visitors to Colorado. Future efforts will target teens, parents, pregnant women and Latinos. It costs $5.7 million.
