Our Valued Partners
This campaign would not be possible without the contributions of our state agency partners, the Cannabis Education Advisory Panel, and community-based organizations across the state.
Why We Partner
OCM works with partners to expand campaign reach, build trust in communities, and use the wide range of expertise available across the state. By working with community groups and our state agency partners, we stay focused on equity, openness, and shared responsibility.
State Agency Partners
Strong partnerships with state agency partners were essential to the campaign’s success. By working together, we aligned goals, shared resources, and delivered consistent messaging. This coordinated approach helps us reach communities more effectively with clearer and more unified communication.
Thank you to our state agency partners—the Department of Health and the Office of Addiction Services and Supports and Office of Mental Health.
Community Involvement Is Key
Community-based organizations were central to this effort, serving as trusted partners within their communities and bringing forward local knowledge, culture, and lived experience. Their input helped shape messaging—ensuring the language, tone, and voices used were appropriate, respectful, and relatable across diverse communities throughout the state.
Want to get involved?
Familiarize yourself with the Cannabis Honestly Toolkit and reach out to OCM to find ways to collaborate.
Download the ToolkitThe DNA
The ‘Cannabis Honestly’ campaign provides clear, practical education for young people and the adults who support them. It is designed to help families and trusted adults understand the facts, have informed conversations, and make decisions that support young people’s health and well-being.
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Our Approach and Goals
This campaign was built to give young people and the adults who support them the facts about cannabis. It focuses on health and safety, cuts through misinformation, and provides practical tools to support everyday conversations and tips to navigate real-life situations.
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Who Does This Campaign Serve?
Cannabis Honestly is designed for young people ages 11-17 and the adults who support them, including parents, caregivers, and other trusted adults, like grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings, mentors, coaches, and teachers.
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Shaped by Lived Experience and Expert Guidance
OCM started the ‘Cannabis Honestly’ campaign by listening. We met with young people, parents, and community members across New York to understand what they were seeing and hearing about cannabis and learn what they most needed to make informed decisions.
When we listened, we learned
Parents and trusted adults told us they wanted tools to help them talk with young people. Young people told us they were getting most of their information online, often from random or unreliable sources. Across the board, people were looking for clear, honest facts they could trust.
To carry that work forward, we established the Cannabis Education Advisory Panel, bringing together public health experts, educators, and community leaders to help guide the campaign. As materials were developed, we continued to incorporate feedback from the Panel to refine the tone and approach. We also worked with state agency partners—including the Department of Health, Office of Addiction Services and Supports, and Office of Mental Health—to keep the information accurate and grounded.
Reach out & connect
Have a question about Cannabis Honestly? Looking to bring resources to your community? We'd love to hear from you. Whether you're a parent, community organization, or just looking for more information, we're here to help.
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