Why focus on mainstream teens?
Surveys conducted in Canada and in countries such as Australia have shown that driving under the influence of cannabis is rare in the general population but common among cannabis users, a group concentrated in those 14 to 25 years-of-age. For this campaign, we decided to target mainstream youth since data indicates that the rate of cannabis use is approaching the rate of alcohol consumption among youth in Canada. Pot has become mainstream. We spoke to several groups of young Canadians 15-25 years-of-age about their experiences with pot and driving. Generally, older participants were convinced that driving high was not a problem and said they were unlikely to change their minds about doing it. Participants who were not yet driving or were anticipating learning how to drive appeared to be more open to the suggestion that mixing pot and driving, like mixing alcohol and driving, could put them and their passengers at risk. So we decided the campaign should focus on mainstream Canadians 14-
