Cannabis Public Education Campaign

With the legalization of cannabis, the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba (LGCA) took on the responsibility of regulating cannabis and conducting public education about provincial regulations and low-risk strategies for consuming cannabis. We developed a two-phased approach with two unique campaigns to help the LGCA achieve its cannabis-related regulatory role and its mandate around social responsibility and cannabis.<br><br>The first campaign, The Can and Canu2019t of Cannabis, was regulatory, designed to increase awareness about and compliance with the new laws regarding cannabis use. This campaign was targeted to current cannabis users, particularly men aged 19 to 40, to encourage them to shift from illegal to legal modes of purchasing and using cannabis. We designed a campaign brand to reach this audience using trendy fonts and graphics to capture attention and highlight the key messages. The multimedia campaign included print media (billboards, transit advertising, newspaper advertising); digital advertising (social media advertising and websites); and display materials for cannabis retail locations and other venues (posters).<br><br>Phase two was non-regulatory and focused on public education about low-risk strategies for consuming cannabis. For this phase, we developed a campaign that is part of the LGCAu2019s u201cKnow My Limitsu201d brand. We previously had redesigned this brand to create a unified suite of brands for each of the industry segments regulated by the LGCA u2013 liquor, gaming and cannabis. We then aligned the cannabis campaign creative to work within the cannabis u201cKnow My Limitsu201d brand. This second campaign was aimed at a broader audience u2013 those likely to try cannabis after legalization as well as current users u2013 and designed to raise awareness of and encourage responsible and lower-risk consumption behaviours. In both phases, the campaign messages are non-judgmental, informing Manitobans about the law and educating about the effects of cannabis use.