Pubdate: Tue, 06 Jan 2015
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2015 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Author: John Ingold

NEW MARIJUANA CAMPAIGN TAKES LIGHTER TONE

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.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom