Pro-pot activists launched a campaign urging adults to "consume responsibly" in states where the marijuana is legal, according to The Associated Press.
The Marijuana Policy Project, the largest pot policy organization in America, opened the drive on Wednesday in Colorado, which, along with Washington state, allows recreational weed sales to adults under a highly regulated and taxed system, the AP reported.
Since the first stores opened this year, much of the public debate has focused on marijuana-infused edibles such as chocolates and cookies, given their potential to attract children and pot novices with potentially dangerous consequences, according to the AP.
MPP Communications Director Mason Tvert said that for decades, marijuana education campaigns had been characterized by exaggeration, fear mongering and condescension, the AP reported.
"They have not made anyone smarter or safer," he said, according to the AP.
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd recounted in June how an "innocent" looking candy bar left her "panting and paranoid" at her Denver hotel and convinced she had died, but later learned she had eaten several times the recommended dose, the AP reported.
"Like most Americans, Ms. Dowd has probably seen countless silly anti-marijuana ads on TV but she has never seen one that highlights the need to 'start low and go slow' when choosing to consume marijuana edibles," Tvert said, according to the AP.
There is also a website called ConsumeResponsibly.org, which features information on marijuana products, their effects, including how to prevent over- and accidental consumption, and the laws surrounding them, the AP reported.
The campaign also will include print and online ads, as well as materials in retail marijuana stores, according to the AP.
MPP plans to roll out its campaign in Colorado and Washington, and then in other states if they adopt similar laws, the AP reported. Marijuana initiatives will be on ballots in Alaska, Oregon and the District of Columbia in the fall.
