It’s time to get real about marijuana education.

For more than 80 years, marijuana education in the United States has largely been the product of government agencies and other organizations that staunchly support keeping marijuana illegal for all people and under any circumstances.

Not surprisingly, traditional marijuana education campaigns have been characterized by the same type of fear mongering, misinformation, and derision that led to the establishment of marijuana prohibition.

They have been intellectually dishonest and marked by unfounded and outrageous claims. They have exaggerated the potential harms of marijuana and omitted any discussion of its relative safety compared to alcohol and other legal and illegal substances. And they have alienated their target audiences with farcical ads and exploitation of stereotypes.

Most importantly, these traditional marijuana education campaigns — now commonly referred to as “anti-marijuana” education campaigns — have failed to prepare people for the scientific, sociocultural, and legal realities of marijuana in America.

Now that marijuana is a legal product like alcohol in some states — and on its way to becoming legal in others — it needs to start being treated that way. That’s where the Consume Responsibly campaign comes in.

Rather than ridiculing marijuana consumers or trying to convince them marijuana is more harmful than it actually is, our goal is to educate them about the substance, the laws surrounding it, and the importance of consuming it responsibly.