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Maryland Department of Health addiction stigma campaign

Also: Less Judgment. More Compassion · Tackle the Stigma of Addiction · Stop Overdose Maryland stigma campaign

“Less Judgment. More Compassion.”

Maryland Department of Health Behavioral Health Administration multimedia campaign (US-MD), launched February 2018 under the tagline "Less Judgment. More Compassion" and refreshed most years since, presenting addiction as a medical condition rather than a moral failing and directing people to 988 and StopOverdose.maryland.gov; several waves feature Baltimore Ravens players (Tony Jefferson 2018-19, Morgan Moses, Mark Andrews 2024).

Years
2018–now
Reach
392.7M impressions as reported
“Sponsor reports only: NASADAD's 2021 brief says the anti-stigma campaign received national recognition and that STR/SOR public awareness ads made about 392.7 million impressions across all campaigns;”
Country
United States
Budget
Not published; funded through federal State Targeted Response (STR) and State Opioid Response (SOR) grants per NASADAD briefs.
Topic
DrugsOpioids
Asks people to
Reduce stigmaSeek help
Strategy
CelebrityService linkStigma reductionTestimonial
Channel
CinemaOutdoorRadioSocial (paid)TVWebsite
Audience
AdultsGeneral public
Marylanders generally, families and loved ones of people with substance use disorder; English and Spanish versions.

Evidence

Self-reportedUnknown

Sponsor reports only: NASADAD's 2021 brief says the anti-stigma campaign received national recognition and that STR/SOR public awareness ads made about 392.7 million impressions across all campaigns; no outcome evaluation found.

Sponsor (who paid)

Credits (who made it)

  • Maryland State Ad Agency (division of Maryland Public Television) Creative, 2024 source

Executions (individual ads)

Related campaigns

Sources

  1. St. Mary's County Health Department: Statewide Opioid Awareness Campaigns (MDH announces 'Less Judgment. More Compassion' and 'Talk to Your Doctor') news · 2018
  2. MDH: Ravens safety Tony Jefferson appears in fentanyl and stigma PSAs sponsor · 2018
  3. MDH: Maryland Department of Health partners with Baltimore Ravens for new campaign to address stigma of addiction (Mark Andrews) sponsor · 2024
  4. Stop Overdose Maryland: Public Awareness Resources (PSA and toolkit page) sponsor · 2026
  5. NASADAD: Maryland State Opioid Response (SOR) initiatives brief reference · 2024
  6. NASADAD: Addressing Opioid and Stimulant Misuse and Disorders: Maryland STR/SOR brief reference · 2021

Research notes

US-MD. Discovered 2026-10-22 for #17. Credits checked 2026-10-22 against fetched pages: Maryland State Ad Agency, a division of Maryland Public Television, 'helped develop' the September-October 2024 Mark Andrews wave (MDH release). Agencies for the 2018-2023 and 2025-2026 waves are unverified (no page found that credits the agency). The Morgan Moses wave is described in the 2024 NASADAD brief; its year is not stated there. The Mark Andrews spot itself was not found on the PSA page; executions listed are the stigma videos MDH hosts there (YouTube upload years). Ad library search: "Maryland Department of Health", "StopOverdose.maryland.gov".

Record cases/md-addiction-stigma-campaign.json, updated 2026-10-22· Link to this campaign