The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission announced the launch of a yearlong statewide cannabis safety campaign that will begin next week, featuring the message “Cannabis Smart. Cannabis Safe” and driving engagement to the agency’s safe-use website page, which has science-based information on cannabis use and safety and more.
Starting Monday, billboards, posters, web and social media advertising and interactive television ads will promote the safety message.
“While the enabling legislation stipulates the commission provide information to the public about safe and responsible cannabis consumption, we see safety and harm reduction messaging as more than legal obligation,” NJ-CRC Executive Director Jeff Brown said. “Safety is one of the values — with equity — that we have embraced as part of our mission and duty to the public.”
The campaign, produced with the marketing firm Princeton Partners, is broad in its reach and its focus. The ads include messages to teenagers, parents of young children, seniors, drivers and those pregnant and nursing; as well as reminders to cannabis consumers to buy from legal dispensaries where they can be assured of safety, and to store their cannabis and cannabis products properly to avoid accidental ingestion.
Commissioner Krista Nash, who co-chairs the commission’s Public Engagement and Education Committee, said she was pleased to see the campaign ready to be launched across the state.
In her remarks, she said, “Our top priority is the safety, health and well-being of all New Jerseyans — whether they are cannabis consumers or not. Launching this campaign demonstrates New Jersey’s dedication to responsible legalization, emphasizing safe use among adults, while protecting our youth and vulnerable populations.”
“We commend the NJ-CRC’s commitment to ensuring that cannabis users in New Jersey are educated and informed,” Dr. Dianne Calello, executive medical director at the New Jersey Poison Control Center, said. “The majority of child-related exposures are attributable to edible products left out in the open or stored in easily accessible places, and many are illegal candy lookalikes. Thanks to strict regulations on packaging and sales, legal products in New Jersey are safer, but no package is completely childproof, so I appreciate this campaign’s driving home the message that safe storage is key.”
Scott Rudder, president of the New Jersey CannaBusiness Association, voiced zealous support for the agency’s campaign: “The launch of the safe-use campaign by the Cannabis Regulatory Commission sets an example for the nation as we navigate the evolving landscape of cannabis legalization. The NJCBA is wholeheartedly committed to this mission and looks forward to working closely with the commission and other stakeholders to ensure its success.”
