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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW State launches Medford campaign to deter pot use among youths ... Small fire fills second-floor Ramada Inn guest rooms with smoke ... Abdill fined, put on probation for state violations ... State launches Medford campaign to deter pot use among youths ... Small fire fills second-floor Ramada Inn guest rooms with smoke ... Abdill fined, put on probation for state violations ... TEENS TARGETED State launches Medford campaign to deter pot use among youths State hopes to prevent and delay usage by underage people Comment By Hannah Golden Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Hannah Golden Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 9, 2016 at 11:01 PM By Hannah Golden Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 9, 2016 at 11:01 PM » Social News Less than two years after recreational marijuana was legalized in the state, the Oregon Health Authority is launching a program to dissuade young residents from using it. The message: Marijuana can affect brain development, impair abilities and jeopardize people's health and careers. The OHA is piloting the campaign in Medford and Portland using web ads, streaming radio and TV and Facebook ads. It's being funded with $4 million allocated by the Legislature in this year's session to help prevent marijuana use among youth, according to Kati Moseley, policy specialist with the OHA Public Health Division. The campaign is not directed toward Oregon Medical Marijuana Program users, but rather at youths who use pot recreationally. The state is tracking both attitudes and usage rates among young Oregonians before, during and after legalization. Campaign organizers consulted with focus groups in metro and rural populations to find core messages that would be "believable and convincing" to young people, Moseley said. The campaign promotes the idea that most students don't use marijuana and calls on youth to set a good example for their younger siblings. It also warns that using marijuana can jeopardize everything from driver's licenses to school performance and jobs. The 2015 Oregon Healthy Teens Survey, published in February by the OHA, shows that marijuana usage among eighth- and 11th-graders in Oregon decreased slightly in the past several years, holding consistent with national figures. In 2011, 11 percent of eighth-graders and 25 percent of 11th-graders reported using the drug in the past 30 days, compared with 9 and 19 percent, respectively, in 2015. Smoking, the overwhelming method of using pot among Oregon youths, has long-term consequences, said Dr. Katrina Hedberg, a state health officer for the OHA Public Health Division. "Inhaling any particulate matter in your lungs is not good," she said. Hedberg noted that one goal of the campaign is to address and track prevailing attitudes about the drug. "When things are legal, it does change a social norm," she said. "It’s still illegal under the age of 21." Hedberg said the majority of underage Oregonians using marijuana are not doing so for medical purposes. "There may be conditions that medical marijuana helps, but there’s a number of conditions that it triggers," Hedberg said. Though many people seek the drug to calm down, she said it can cause some to feel anxious. She listed anxiety, paranoia and other psychoactive effects, heart rate increase, severe vomiting, cognitive interference and impaired reaction time as potential medical consequences of marijuana consumption. The brain isn’t fully developed until the mid- to late-20s, Hedberg said, and emotional and social developments are still in process when most youths graduate from high school. The campaign is viewable at: www.staytruetoyou.org/#home . Hannah Golden is a reporting intern. Reach her at [email protected] . By Hannah Golden Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Hannah Golden Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 9, 2016 at 11:01 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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