The You Can campaign is brought to you by the Marijuana Prevention and Education Program within the Division of Prevention and Community Health at the Washington State Department of Health. The funding for this campaign comes directly from marijuana revenues as laid out in state Initiative 502 (I-502), now known as RCW 69.50.540.

For more information on I-502 and the tax reforms defined in HB 2136, please refer to the full initiative: http://lcb.wa.gov/publications/Marijuana/I-502/i502.pdf

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have information in Spanish?

Yes! We created a webpage with key content in Spanish and links to sections with more information on the website, click here to see the page in Spanish.

¿Tienen información en español?

¡Si! Tenemos una página con información importante para las personas que prefieren leer en español, incluye un resumen y enlaces a otras páginas en el sitio. Ve el resumen en español.

What is You Can?

You Can is a prevention campaign by the Washington State Department of Health to educate 12 to 17-year-olds about the risks and consequences of marijuana use.

Who is behind You Can?

The You Can campaign is brought to you by the Marijuana Prevention and Education Program within the Division of Prevention and Community Health at the Washington State Department of Health.

Who pays for You Can?

The funding for this campaign comes directly from marijuana revenues as laid out in voter Initiative 502 (I-502), now known as RCW 69.50.540. For more information on I-502 and the tax reforms defined in HB 2136, please refer to the full initiative: http://lcb.wa.gov/publications/Marijuana/I-502/i502.pdf

Where do you get your information?

We are here to tell teens about the risks and consequences of using marijuana. Our information comes from sources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). All sources are cited or linked when referenced.

Isn’t marijuana legal in Washington state?

Marijuana use is legal for adults 21 and older. You Can is here to talk to teens about the risks and consequences of using marijuana for people under 21. To read more about the law, check out the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Control Board’s “Know the Law” page: https://lcb.wa.gov/mj-education/know-the-law

Why not focus on alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs?

There are a lot of other campaigns and organizations dedicated to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. You Can educates teens about the risks and consequences specific to marijuana use, as required by I-502, the initiative that legalized marijuana use for adults in Washington State.

Can you get addicted to marijuana?

Research shows that people can get addicted to marijuana. 1 out of every 6 people who try marijuana in their teens will become addicted. Research also tells us that marijuana is more addictive for teens than adults. For more information, see our health effects section.

Can marijuana be beneficial?

While doctors can authorize patients to use marijuana for some health conditions, it can also have adverse health effects, especially for people under 21, because their brains are still developing. All drugs, whether legal or illegal, prescription or over the counter, have side effects and consequences. For more information about the side effects of marijuana, see our health effects section.

I don’t do drugs. Why am I seeing You Can ads?

You Can is here to provide information on marijuana to all teens in Washington state. We have no way of knowing whether or not you use marijuana.

Social Media Comment Policy

The Washington State Department of Health welcomes your comments and encourages polite and productive conversation. Your comments are visible to the public and subject to public record disclosure laws.

We do not approve, endorse or verify the scientific accuracy of comments posted by our followers. We do not discriminate against any views, but reserve the right to remove comments, without notification, that:

  • Identify personal information including, but not limited to: medical information, email addresses, telephone numbers, mailing addresses, or identification numbers.
  • Contain violent or obscene language.
  • Contain solicitations or advertisements.
  • Promote or oppose any political candidate or ballot initiative.
  • Encourage or suggest illegal activity.
  • Violate trademarks or copyrights.
  • Are repetitive posts that are copied and pasted.

Our Facebook filter is set to ‘strong.’ Comments that violate Facebook’s Community Standards may be automatically removed or hidden by Facebook.

Comments on social media do not take the place of any official notifications or public comments to Department of Health.

If you have questions or comments about this policy, please email [email protected]