California Department of Public Health Launches Education Campaign Ahead of Recreational Marijuana Sales
The recreational use of marijuana is now legal within the State of California. However, this does not mean that all dangers associated with marijuana have been eliminated. In an effort to ensure the safe use of recreational marijuana, the California Department of Public Health has launched a campaign to educate the public about the dangers of marijuana and its safe use. The goal of this program is for all Californians to be prepared for safe marijuana use when business licenses are issued for recreational marijuana sales in January 2018.
The Public Information Campaign
State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith reports to the Los Angeles Times that the goal of this campaign – largely centered around the Department’s “Let’s Talk Cannabis” website – is to provide Californians with scientific evidence in order to ensure safe and informed decisions are made about marijuana use. For example: one major focus of the campaign is to highlight the fact that marijuana use is illegal for persons under twenty-one years of age. The campaign supplements this simple legal fact with the scientific reasons for its existence: namely, marijuana use in the late teens and early twenties can lead to physical changes in the brain, which are found less frequently in older users. Continue reading