A new advertising campaign from Alaska’s Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) is using a unique set of voices to warn Final Frontier residents about the possible dangers of legal weed – the state’s recreational cannabis providers.
According to local NBC affiliate KTUU, next month the Responsible Consumer campaign will debut a television ad featuring two of Alaska’s retail pot shop owners giving warning to their customers and neighbors that “with cannabis, there is no legal limit to drive.”
In addition to the TV spot, the same campaign will feature print ads about the dangers of youth cannabis use, and posters advising edible consumers to “know your limits” that the DHSS hopes dispensaries across the state will hang prominently in their shops.
“The Responsible Consumer campaign is meant to educate Alaskans who are thinking of using marijuana, or who are using marijuana, on some of the pointers of responsible consumption,” Regina McConkey an employee of the Office of Substance Misuse and Addiction Prevention, said.
Another recent cannabis-themed ad campaign in Alaska has taken a harsher tone, with a federally funded push from the Alaska Highway Safety Office (AHSO) running ads backed by less than sound statistics that claim one third of the state’s fatal car accidents are a result of drugged driving, and that drug related DUIs are on the rise.
Instead of using the imagery and language of death and doom, the DHSS hopes they can better appeal to Alaskans by showing that their safety is of concern to the same people who sell them their bud.
“Every state that has legalized marijuana for recreational use has had education efforts and prevention efforts to reduce some of the negative impacts that can happen as a direct result of legalization,” McConkey said.
