Florida’s Department of Children and Families has allocated nearly $4 million from the state’s opioid settlement fund to a Tallahassee-based marketing agency to launch an educational campaign aimed at warning Floridian families and youth about the dangers of marijuana, opioids, and drug use. The campaign, which targets Amendment 3, a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize recreational marijuana for adults over 21, is focused on highlighting the potential mental health risks of marijuana use, particularly in teenagers.
The campaign features two ads, one of which claims that modern marijuana is engineered by corporations to alter the human mind. The ad also links marijuana use to schizophrenia. The campaign’s goal is to educate Floridians, particularly families and youth, about the potential risks associated with drug use, including marijuana. The funds for the campaign come from a settlement with opioid manufacturers and distributors, and the campaign is seen as a way to use this money to address the state’s opioid crisis while also opposing the legalization of recreational marijuana.
