Recently, you may have noticed messages about Speaking of Cannabis online, in stores and around your community.
Much like alcohol, cannabis is now legal for adults, but that doesn’t mean it’s always safe. Using it during a time when the brain is actively growing can have harmful and long-term effects on things like memory, coordination, concentration and mental health. This is why the Speaking of Cannabis campaign was created: to support parents, caregivers, mentors and other trusted adults to understand and talk to the youth in their communities about the risks of cannabis use.
The Speaking of Cannabis campaign came to Southeast Minnesota because of a group effort by public health staff. A subgroup from Fillmore, Goodhue, Olmsted and Winona County is leading the effort, in partnership with Dodge, Freeborn, Houston, Mower, Rice, Steele, and Wabasha County.
“Public health staff reviewed existing campaigns and picked Speaking of Cannabis. They talked to local adults to guide revisions and create new messages, recommended display locations, provided their county logos, and granted Meta access so O’Rourke Media Group could run Facebook ads across all 11 counties,” said Ruth Greenslade, MPP, Public Health Supervisor, Goodhue County Health and Human Services.
Speaking of Cannabis started in Northeast Minnesota. It was originally created last year by public health staff from Carlton, Cook, Lake and St. Louis Counties and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s Human Services Division, with support from a Minnesota Department of Health Infrastructure Grant.
The campaign’s website and original materials were created by the Duluth-based Sek Design Studio, who helped develop a look and tone for the campaign that is friendly, informative and non-judgmental.
PlaceBased, a Minneapolis-based media company specializing in out-of-home advertisements, placed displays, posters, and window clings in community locations in both Northeast Minnesota and Southeast Minnesota.
You can find messages from Speaking of Cannabis in your community, online and throughout the region. This activity is made possible by a grant from the Cannabis & Substance Use Prevention program of the Minnesota Department of Health’s Health Improvement Bureau. For more information, visit www.speakingofcannabis.org.
If you would like to connect with our Wabasha County Cannabis and Substance Misuse Prevention Collaborative, please reach out to Tina Moen, Wabasha County Coordinator at tmoen@co.wabasha.mn.us.
