«Histoires de joints»: the new Santé Publique France campaign

Cannabis remains the most widely consumed illegal drug in France. But rather than stigmatize in the image of the Ministry of the Interior, Santé Publique France, an agency of the French Ministry of Health, has created the «Histoire de joints» campaign to «improve consumers» knowledge of the harm associated with cannabis use, [...] deconstruct preconceived ideas and [...] support healthcare professionals in their practice".»

SPF lets cannabis users speak for themselves through illustrated video testimonials. At the same time, Laurent Karila, psychiatrist and addictologist at the AP-HP hospital in Paris, and Jean-Michel Delile, psychiatrist and President of the Fédération Addiction, decipher a number of questions and preconceived ideas.

Among the topics discussed: cannabis and lungs, cannabis and sleep or cannabis and schizophrenia.

«The health risks of cannabis are real and proven, and all the more so when consumption becomes intensive. Through this campaign, we want to inform consumers without making them feel guilty or judging them, to enable them to make informed choices about their health, and to facilitate dialogue between health professionals and consumers. This is essential if we are to reduce the proportion of consumers who switch to problematic use», explains Viêt Nguyen Thanh, Head of the Addictions Unit at Santé publique France.

A dedicated Youtube playlist centralizes the various episodes.