The campaign is strategic in employing evidence-based science on drug use and substance disorders to convince the target audience that drug decriminalization is the best approach to promote public health. The main target of the campaign is lawmakers, the focus is on those who are in power and can change policies.
The campaign seeks to use various types of media for messaging and education; traditional and media. Such a strategy is likely to reach many people across a wide range of demographics. The general public is the target of such messaging about the failures of criminalization and the potential benefits of decriminalization. The campaign aims to win the hearts of the general public so it can sway the opinions of lawmakers. Some polls already indicate that majority of the population favors re-categorization of drug offenses to civil offenses. This provides a solid foundation on which the campaign for decriminalization will be set.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The messaging is designed to be appealing and emotive. It seeks to show that drug use is a collective problem that needs to be treated as such. Since it affects a large portion of the population, humane methods should be used when dealing with the drug problem. Decriminalization is presented as a tool for saving lives because users can avoid unsafe conditions and tools usually associated with fear of legal reprisals. The campaign also plans to extensively use in-people conversations and canvassing with members of the community. This is a critical element of campaigns intended in influencing a cultural shift. Sharing past personal experiences will make the majority of the people understand and sympathize with the decriminalization approach that is aimed at preventing harm. The whole campaign is expected to start bearing fruits within two or three years, a very ambitious target for a topic with a significant cultural stigma.
References
Campaign Action Plan: Drug Policy. Key Aspects of the Campaign
Ritter, A. (2020). Decriminalization or legalization: injecting evidence in the drug law reform debate. National Drug & Alcohol Research Centre . https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/blog/decriminalisation-or-legalisation-injecting-evidence-drug-law-reform-debate
