The provincial government is rolling out a campaign promoting awareness of the health risks of marijuana weeks before recreational legalization is expected to take effect.
New Brunswick Health Minister Benoit Bourque says the campaign is primarily aimed at informing ‘at risk’ portions of the population, especially youth.
“We’re going to start with social media campaign, and other means,” says Bourque. “We are confident that that will reach out to a large number, but we will monitor the situation and if we need to take a more aggressive approach we are certainly willing to do that.”
The ‘I’m In Control’ campaign will be advertised on social media, radio, newspaper, and on public transit, and will also have a micro website specifically designed for mobile devices.
Bourque was asked if they would be taking steps to actively bring the information to youth in a school setting.
“I don’t know the specific answer to that, but one thing I do know is we will consider it strongly, we will sort of see how the message penetrates this summer, and depending how that goes, we will certainly be in a position to make that decision,” says Bourque.
While he was unable to provide specifics on how they would measure that penetration into their target audiences, he insisted there were ways to do so.
There is a microsite available where information will be posted.
A microsite was specifically chosen because it is designed for mobile devices, which is one of the chief ways youth interact with their world.
Bourque also confirmed the campaign was created in New Brunswick, and a government spokesperson said the provincial cost to this campaign was $216,000.