More than two years after Washington legalized marijuana, community
groups in Seattle are launching a citywide effort aimed at preventing
use of marijuana and other drugs by teens.
The campaign, with
support from the Seattle City Attorney's Office, aims to spread positive
messages that most kids don't use drugs or alcohol. The messages, which
also ask parents to talk to their kids about marijuana, are being
displayed on nine billboards around the city, some of them donated by
Clear Channel Outdoor.
After announcing the campaign at Aki
Kurose Middle School in south Seattle on Wednesday, City Attorney Pete
Holmes called the effort "an antidote to the fear-based messaging of the
war on drugs." He contrasted it with an anti-marijuana youth campaign
in Colorado, which told teens that if legal pot's an experiment, "Don't
be a lab rat." That effort featured oversized rat cages placed outside
parks, libraries and schools - a bit too reminiscent of jail cells for
Holmes' taste.
In Seattle, organizers are asking students to take
part in their "Above the Influence" contest, including taking selfies
showing what inspires them not to use drugs or alcohol. Prizes include
Seattle Seahawks and Sounders tickets.
Last June and July, as the
state's first licensed pot shops were preparing to open, the Department
of Health scraped together $400,000 from other programs to run a
statewide radio and online campaign targeting parents. But this is the
first effort aimed at youth in Seattle since Initiative 502 passed.
Meanwhile,
a newly published University of Washington study suggests further
public messaging about the state's marijuana law might be warranted:
Just 57 percent of parents in a small, ongoing survey of 115 low-income
families in Tacoma knew that 21 is the legal age for recreational pot
use, and just 63 percent knew that growing marijuana at home isn't
allowed.
The study found 71 percent of 10th graders knew the
legal age, but fewer than half knew the legal limit for marijuana
possession - up to an ounce of dried bud.
The legal-pot law
itself directs some tax revenues from legal marijuana sales to
prevention efforts, but Health Department spokesman Donn Moyer said the
state hasn't yet disbursed money to the agency for that purpose.
Mike
Graham-Squire, a manager at the social services organization
Neighborhood House, said the Seattle campaign has so far totaled
$60,000, including $15,000 from the city. They are looking for
additional sponsors.
If you or a loved one is in a bind as a result of a DUI, immediately contact a Seattle DUI attorney. A DUI lawyer
is not going to judge you, and understands that everyone makes
mistakes. Hiring a Seattle DUI lawyer to help can – at a minimum –
reduce those penalties, and can help direct people on how to best deal
with their DUI charge. So it should go without saying that someone cited
for DUI should hire a qualified Seattle DUI lawyer
as soon as possible. Driving Under the Influence charges can cause
havoc on a person’s personal and professional life. Anyone charged with
DUI in Washington State should immediately seek the assistance of a
seasoned Seattle DUI lawyer.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
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