Mind Over Marijuana is the California Department of Public Health’s new campaign to inform youth about the dangers of underage cannabis use, and how it can impact their social and emotional wellbeing later in life.
The campaign provides facts about the detrimental effects of cannabis use on developing brains and resources for talking to young people.
“We’ve all struggled as the pandemic took away many of our social outlets,” said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás Aragón. “This was especially hard on teens, so our ultimate goal with this campaign is to help California adolescents develop healthy ways to cope with life’s stressors.”
A 2017-19 California Healthy Kids Survey, the most recent available, found 16 percent of 11th graders using cannabis — that was down from 20% in 2015-17.
According to a 2020 federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration report, about one in 10 adolescents ages 12 to 17 had used cannabis in the past year.
The campaign is part of an annual $12 million initiative designed to educate teens and their parents and guardians about the effects of cannabis use during this important developmental period.
The effort is mandated by Proposition 64 (2016) which legalized the recreational sale and use of cannabis to people over age 21 and set up the Cannabis Tax Fund to fund youth education, prevention, early intervention, treatment, and school retention.
The Mind Over Marijuana campaign was created based on research and feedback from young people and parents participating in focus groups.
The campaign addresses the effects of underage cannabis use on two key pillars of mental health: social and emotional wellbeing.
Starting in February, Mind Over Marijuana messages launched on social media, radio, television, billboards and at bus stops.
Materials for campaigns will be available in English and Spanish. For more information, visit the Youth Cannabis Prevention Initiative.
To help parents start conversations with their children, the Let’s Talk Cannabis component will provide tips, tools and guidelines to help parents and guardians talk with their children.
Let’s Talk Cannabis will include virtual and in-person events, conversation guides and fact sheets.