---
title: "Youth Cannabis + Mental Health: Communications to Address Converging Crises"
description: The California Department of Public Health worked with Rescue to develop a youth cannabis prevention campaign addressing underlying mental health challenges.
image: https://blog.rescueagency.com/hubfs/Comes%20Back%20Thumbnail.jpg
---

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# Youth Cannabis + Mental Health: Communications to Address Converging Crises

 Krysten Isaac

Across the U.S., we’re facing an urgent youth mental health crisis, which has led to many teens using substances like cannabis as a way to cope with the stresses of day-to-day life. However, many teens don’t know that their developing brains are highly susceptible to the adverse effects of cannabis, which can lead to long-term consequences in cognitive function and mental health.

The California Department of Public Health worked with Rescue Agency to develop a youth cannabis prevention campaign called ***Mind Over Marijuana***. Our ad "[***Comes Back***](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2mFR4xP-7U&list=PL9nPye7a7WJnroNrzNlSDPUnIFPSb6hwu&index=3)" focuses on the everyday struggles teens face, including stress from school, life, the pressure to succeed, and overcoming multiple obstacles. It explains that while they might feel like weed can alleviate this stress, it actually can have the reverse effect in the long run.

In message testing, this ad resonated with teens deeply, with one participant stating: "*It demonstrated the negative consequences and the whole getting stressed out and procrastinating, and then getting stressed out because you are procrastinating. That's something I can relate to immensely because I do it often. If I saw this, I definitely wouldn't do that. I definitely wouldn't use weed, no.*"

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F2mFR4xP-7U?list=PL9nPye7a7WJnroNrzNlSDPUnIFPSb6hwu" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: none;"></iframe>

To effectively reach teens susceptible to cannabis use and their parents with important prevention messaging, we leveraged public relations opportunities. Across local, state, and national PR opportunities, ***Mind Over Marijuana*** earned 36 million impressions. Some of the most impactful opportunities included:

- Exposure of the ***Mind Over Marijuana*** billboard on Hulu's original show "This Fool"
- A Reddit post showcasing one of our billboards generated over 1.6K upvotes and 215 comments
- Interview on KCRA3 NBC Sacramento with Robin Christensen, Chief of the Substance & Addiction Prevention Branch at CDPH

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TY-Tpr97380?si=AUARe40ohuqWz5gX" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: none;"></iframe>

If you'd like to learn more about the strategy behind this campaign or find ways to work with Rescue on your next youth cannabis prevention campaign, please don't hesitate to [contact our team.](http://wwww.rescueagency.com/contact)

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