A federal agency is preparing a series of public education campaigns meant to deter driving after using marijuana—notably choosing messaging that leans into cannabis culture, rather than peddling negative stereotypes about consumers as government-backed PSAs have historically done.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) “If You Feel Different, You Drive Different” campaign kicked off earlier this year, with ads discouraging marijuana-impaired driving around Thanksgiving and winter holidays like Christmas.
Looking ahead, NHTSA also has public service announcements slated for key 2025 dates, including the unofficial marijuana holiday 4/20, the Fourth of July and Halloween.
What stands out about the messages and graphics is the departure from fear-mongering and negative depictions of cannabis consumers that’s long been a hallmark of federal marijuana PSAs, such as those funded by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) in the 1990s and 2000s that perpetuated stigmas about laziness or forgetfulness.
Instead, NHTSA seems to be leveraging cannabis culture, with warnings against impaired driving that are coupled with images meant to appeal to marijuana consumers.
Via NHTSA.
For example, the 4/20-targeted ad urges people to get a “sober driver” if they’re indulging in the cannabis festivities. Or, “better yet,” it says,
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