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Health Canada cannabis public education and awareness campaign

Health Canada's federal cannabis education campaign (CA) around legalization: a digital campaign for parents from March 2017 (with Drug Free Kids Canada's Cannabis Talk Kit, 114,000+ copies by October 2017), a health-risk phase for 13-17 and 18-24 year olds from January 2018 with social media, ads and interactive events, then explanation of the new law ahead of October 2018; CAD 46 million over five years for education, awareness and surveillance.

Years
2017–2019
Country
Canada
Budget
CAD 36.4 million over five years announced October 2017, on top of CAD 9.6 million from Budget 2017 (CAD 46 million total for public education, awareness and surveillance).
Topic
CannabisDrugs
Asks people to
Never startTalk to someone
Strategy
Simple instruction
Channel
EventsPrintSocial (paid)TV
Audience
ParentsYoung adultsYouth
Youth 13-17, young adults 18-24, parents and teachers; priority groups Indigenous peoples, pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with a history of mental illness.

Evidence

NoneUnknown

A 2019 pre/post ad-campaign survey by Quorus Consulting for Health Canada (ages 13-17, 18-24, 25+) is in the Library and Archives Canada POR collection, but its results were not opened.

Sponsor (who paid)

  • Health Canada Foreign government, funder and creator
  • Drug Free Kids Canada NGO, partner (Cannabis Talk Kit)

Credits (who made it)

Not recorded yet.

Related campaigns

Sources

  1. Health Canada news release: Government of Canada to invest in cannabis education and awareness (31 October 2017) sponsor · 2017

Research notes

Drafted by Claude (Claude Code) on 2026-10-28 for #130 from the sources listed; unreviewed, including the cardSummary. CA. No brand name found; the name is descriptive. End year 2019 is my assumption (the youth vaping campaign followed in December 2018 and added cannabis content in 2022); check. Evidence level 'none' only because the POR evaluation report sits behind LAC's terms-of-use page, which I did not accept; someone should open https://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/200/301/pwgsc-tpsgc/por-ef/health/2019/017-17-e/report.pdf and set the level (likely self-reported or process). Channels beyond social, advertising and interactive events assumed from a CBC summary (16-24 primary on social, print, radio, TV); check. Ad library search: "Health Canada" cannabis.

Record cases/health-canada-cannabis-public-education.json, updated 2026-10-28· Link to this campaign