September is National Recovery Month. We at SAM celebrate this month with the whole country. It is a time to remind everyone that marijuana use disorder is real, and recovery happens.
SAM is proud to release this toolkit to help in your work.
Some key facts to share on social media:
Big Pharma is eyeing marijuana- The former CEO of the drug company behind OxyContin is now a co-founder of a medical marijuana company based in Canada.
Pot use is exploding- A recent study finds college-age people are using marijuana more now than in the last 30 years.
Invisible addicts are everywhere- The Atlantic reported that the drug is becoming so commonplace and so abused the reporter of the story said: “users lost jobs, lost marriages, lost houses, lost money, lost time…foreclosures and divorces… weight gain and mental-health problems.”
Stories of recovery to share:
On the Road to Recovery: Ben Cort
Here is an inspirational blog post written by Justin Luke Riley, who heads up the Marijuana Accountability Coalition: https://learnaboutsam.org/national-recover…ustin-luke-riley/
Sample tweets:
Marijuana addiction is real. Let’s put public health over profit. https://bit.ly/1Rwn6FN
More kids are in treatment for pot today than all drugs combined. #TheMoreYouKnow #PeopleBeforeProfit
As we celebrate recovery month, a reminder that pot addiction is real. https://bit.ly/2nU46MG
For recovery month, a reminder that pot addiction often accompanies psychiatric disorders. https://bit.ly/2oIgAHn
Sample Facebook post:
As we celebrate National Recovery Month, let us not ignore the fact that marijuana addiction is real. More youth today are in recovery for marijuana than all other drugs combined. It is time to put public health over the profits of the next Big Tobacco. https://bit.ly/2nU46MG
One-Pagers:
Marijuana and opioid abuse
Marijuana and drugged driving
Marijuana and cost to society
Marijuana and the workforce
Sample materials/templates for media outreach:
Letter to the Editor on legalizing marijuana
Blog post on marijuana addiction
Op-ed on drugged driving
Today’s genetically bred weed is nothing like the days of Woodstock. In many cases, pot is made up of more than 99 percent THC, the compound that makes the user high.
Big Pot is employing the playbook of Big Tobacco- the last addiction-for-profit industry we had to contend with. The use of gummies, candies, and sodas colorfully packaged attracts youth, while dispensaries are set up in low-income neighborhoods in an effort to lure unsuspecting populations.
The message they send is that marijuana is safe, fun, and harmless. Millions of people in recovery know that isn’t true.
Please use the above information to promote the message that marijuana use is on the rise, and recovery is possible with the right tools.