The campaign comes on the heels of the CAQ government’s plans to increase the age of legal access to 21 (it is currently 18) and ban public consumption

The Quebec government has launched a bizarre ad campaign aimed at the province’s youth that stresses the potential risks of using cannabis, resulting in many raised eyebrows and a wave of confusion and mockery on social media.

The ads depict young people with strands of hair growing out of their eyes and earholes, comically elongated necks, and displaced ears, with taglines stating “There’s no way cannabis can do this. But the risks are real” and “It’s not worth the risk.”

The campaign website features a section entitled “How it Affects You,” where it attempts to explain what happens when a user consumes cannabis, describing what it calls the “two successive phases” of “non-therapeutic cannabis use”–being “high, then stoned.”

“The main attraction of non-therapeutic cannabis use is the high—a kind of euphoria—caused by the THC,” explains the site, referring to this state as “Phase 1.”

“Phase 2, being stoned, generally begins an hour or more after inhalation or six hours or more after ingestion.”

The campaign comes on the heels of the CAQ government’s plans to increase the age of legal access to 21 (it is currently 18) and ban public consumption, a move that has drawn the ire of many of the province’s medical experts.

“The Government of Québec understands how important it is to inform and educate the public about cannabis use,” it states on the campaign website.

“It will make every effort to ensure that people are aware that using cannabis is a serious matter and understand the effects and consequences it can have.”

Despite the newness of the campaign, the website’s information is also out of date.

“Cannabis is currently an illegal drug,” reads the section on Advice for Parents of Teenagers and Young Adults. “Despite prohibition, cannabis is still being consumed. As a result, it is preferable to regulate every step of the process, from the production to the sale of cannabis, to better protect the public.”

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