We know what you may be thinking. In Oregon, a state where recreational pot is now legal for adults, why is there a campaign that asks young people to think twice about using it?
That phrase—“young people”—is the key. Stay True to You isn’t an anti-pot campaign. It’s an attempt to increase awareness among the under-21 crowd about how pot might affect your health and your life, now and in the future.
within the campaign, statements about the health effects of pot on young people are based on evidence reviews of current science by the oregon health authority's Retail Marijuana Scientific Advisory Committee.
LET'S BACK UP A MINUTE.
Oregon voters made pot legal in November 2014 for adults 21 and over. In the spring of 2016, the Oregon Legislature passed a law that directed the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to create a pilot program for preventing marijuana use among young people—meaning, younger than 21.
Lawmakers set aside money for OHA, the state’s health agency, to launch a public awareness campaign in five counties to start: Jackson, Josephine, Clackamas, Washington and Multnomah. After evaluating the pilot campaign in 2017, OHA expanded the campaign to reach youth across the state.
