You Can
“Marijuana Can't. You Can.”
Washington State Department of Health youth cannabis prevention campaign (US-WA) for ages 12-17, launched in 2018 under Initiative 502 as the successor to Listen2YourSelfie, telling teens that cannabis can get in the way of their goals and offering coping and self-care content from real teens.
- Years
- 2018–now
- Country
- United States
- Topic
- CannabisDrugs
- Asks people to
- Never start
- Strategy
- Self efficacyTestimonial
- Channel
- PrintSocial (paid)Website
- Audience
- YouthWashington youth ages 12-17; tailored-media versions for African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian American/NHPI, Hispanic/Latino and LGBTQ youth (kicked off September 2018).
Evidence
Self-reportedUnknown
Agency case study: in a survey, 61% of youth said they were less likely to use marijuana, or more likely to keep avoiding it, after seeing the ads. No independent evaluation found.
Sponsor (who paid)
- Washington State Department of Health State local government, funder and creator
Credits (who made it)
Executions (individual ads)
- You Can video playlist (campaign site) social-paid · youtube
- Marijuana & The Brain social-paid · youtube
- How Real Teens Deal With Stress social-paid · youtube
Related campaigns
- Under the Influence…of You 2018–now
- Listen2YourSelfie 2017–2018
- Know This About Cannabis 2018–now
Sources
- Washington State Department of Health: Cannabis Prevention and Education sponsor
- GMMB case study: Substance Use/Misuse Prevention and Education (Washington State Department of Health) sponsor
- RTI International webinar slides on state marijuana prevention and education campaigns (Colorado, Washington, Oregon), 18 September 2018 reference · 2018
- You Can campaign site sponsor
Research notes
Drafted by Claude (Claude Code) on 2026-10-28 for #130 from the sources listed; unreviewed, including the cardSummary. US-WA. Launch year: RTI 2018 webinar timeline says 2018; a 2024 Athena Forum slide deck reportedly says spring 2017 (not opened); check. The 61% figure is the agency's own and its survey method is not described; check before quoting. Search summaries mention a 2022 brand refresh (not confirmed on a page opened). GMMB has held the DOH contract since 2003; the case study does not date its You Can work. Ad library search: "You Can WA", "Washington State Department of Health".
Record cases/wa-you-can.json, updated 2026-10-28· Link to this campaign