Colorado has been under fire lately for its liberal views on marijuana.  The high volume of teenage use has not helped the heat.  The country has been anticipating Colorado’s response to this very serious problem.  The solution has had mixed reception.

Colorado has decided to tackle marijuana education in an unprecedented way.  Instead of trying to persuade people to abstain from using the drug, a campaign has been invented to caution residents to use it responsibly. News about the $5.7 million campaign debuted Monday from state health officials.

What separates the new ads from the ones that ran last year is the fact that they do not demonize the use of cannabis. Last year’s ads featured huge rat cages and were skewed to deter teens from the illegal use of marijuana.  Dr. Larry Wolk, the state of Colorado’s chief medical officer, said the new campaign is going to be “bright and neighborly.”

One ad displays a park bench and asks viewers like to refrain from smoking in public.  Another asks the viewers to travel any way they would like after marijuana consumption—except drive.

The paper ads are printed in bright colors, and the radio advertisements feature charismatic voice overs.  These ads are void of the ominous music in the previous year’s campaign. Wolk insists that, “This is not an aversion campaign.”

There is a method to the madness of promoting bright, colorful marijuana ads to teenagers. The “Don’t Be a Lab Rat” approach, which involved man-sized rat cages located in downtown Denver, were critiqued as being the repetitive “Just Say No” messages to which citizens have become desensitized. Critics encouraged the promotion of responsible, moderate use instead.

The rat cages incited rebellion and became hosts for graffiti. Some Denver residents even went so far as to take selfies smoking weed inside of the cages which is in direct violation of the public consumption ban.

The number of citizens charged with marijuana possession has plummeted but the number of people charged with public consumption has soared.  According to the Denver Post, “Most of the data in the reports is familiar in the debate over legalization’s impacts. The Drug Policy Alliance report notes the tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue that Colorado has collected and points to a statewide decrease in traffic fatalities. The Smart Approaches to Marijuana report cites an increase in accidental marijuana ingestion by kids and a reported increase in marijuana use by Coloradans in 2012 and 2013.”

While Wolk still believes the rat campaign was “provocative,” he thinks it is time for Colorado to try new reach the population in a different way. The new ad campaign is sponsored by sales taxes on recreational weed. The funding includes ads that target the pregnant and nursing, the youth, and Latinos. It also includes flyers that will be handed out at dispensaries.

Rep. Jonathan Singer, supporter of legislation to tax pot and use part of the proceeds for education said, “We need to start treating marijuana like the drug it is, not the drug some fear it to be.” Officials everywhere are still debating this issue but Colorado officials are optimistic about the new campaign’s ability to encourage lawful use of an newly legal substance.