Hoe een landelijke bewustwordingscampagne over drugs een goed idee kan worden

Early this year, the Dutch House of Representatives adopted a motion proposing to start a national campaign or broad communication about the risks and harmful consequences of drug use. This outcome caused commotion and resistance from the drug prevention field. However, there is sufficient experience and scientific evidence that public campaigns aimed at prevention and reducing substance use can be effective as part of an integrated approach. In this article, we explain why a campaign can certainly be a good idea. We also show which elements and characteristics are important for a successful campaign to discourage drug use.