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Asking Youth To Rise Above The Influence Of Drugs And Alcohol

 

A new media campaign in the Seattle metro area called Rise Above The Influence is being called the first major youth drug prevention media campaign since the passage of I-502 back 2012, legalizing recreational marijuana.

Billboards will appear in and around the city  bearing the slogan, “Most Youth Rise Above The Influence.” Young people are encouraged to participate in a contest by sending in a selfie showing how they lead a drug free life. Prizes include tickets to a Seahawks game.

 

To participate in the contest, youth must sign a pledge that says, “I will rise to the top and be the best I can be by not drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, using marijuana or other drugs.”

 

Seattle’s Attorney, Pete Holmes, is one of the program’s partners. He said this is not about scaring kids straight.  

 

“We know that we’ve been taking the wrong approach. We know that has resulted in incorrect information getting out to our youth.We firmly believe if we get the right information to them they will be better equipped to make better decisions as they face all these challenges in life,” said Holmes.

 

The nine billboards, donated by Clear Channel, ask parents to talk to their kids about marijuana. The state’s marijuana law promises funding for drug prevention and education campaigns, but so far none has been distributed. State lawmakers are expected to include it in this year’s budget.  

 

According to a University of Washington study calling for more education about recreational marijuana, only 57 percent of Washington parents in a small survey knew the legal age for pot use is 21-years-old.  

Jennifer Wing is a former KNKX reporter and producer who worked on the show Sound Effect and Transmission podcast.