Part of the rationale when Rhode Island legalized cannabis in 2022 was that doing so would result in a safer, regulated product for users.
But the state Health Department is reminding Rhode Islanders that all intoxicants pose some level of risk — and it’s spending $130,000 to discourage risky cannabis use by particularly vulnerable groups.
The effort is dubbed “Rhode Island Responsible.”
“The campaign that we’re running is designed to help people across the state better understand the health risks of cannabis,” Health Director Dr. Jerome Larkin said in an interview, “and it also includes a tool kit with some fact sheets and social media resources. They’re available in English, Spanish and Portuguese. We really just want people to be responsible.”
Health Department spokesman Joseph Wendelken said the $130,000 for the campaign “included work with a vendor on project planning, background research, formative research, materials development, focus groups, and a media strategy and implementation plan. As part of the formative research, we completed 500 digital surveys with people who use cannabis in addition to in-depth interviews with subject matter experts. This helped guide the development of the factsheets and social media messaging available at www.health.ri.gov/ri-responsible.”
In particular, the state hopes to discourage cannabis use by youth, drivers and pregnant women.
While cannabis seemingly gained an Ocean State imprimatur when Gov. Dan McKee signed a bill legalizing it in 2022, Larkin said all substance-use is complicated, regardless of whether it’s legal.
“I think it is ultimately an individual choice about what people decide to use, whether it be alcohol or cannabis,” he said. “There remain health risks associated with cannabis, but there is health risk with any kind of intoxicant.”
According to the Department of Health, the number of Rhode Island adults who report current cannabis use has almost doubled since 2017, topping out at 20% of all adults. The comparable national figure is 16%.
Larkin said that cannabis use by Rhode Island high school students has declined since 2011, although nearly one in three students have tried the drug.
Rhode Island offers behavioral health resources for people wrestling with substance use, including a 24/7 crisis line, a 24/7 Kids Link Hotline (1-855-543-5465), and a counseling program for youth and young adults ages 12 to 25.
