Boulder's school district has decided not to participate in a newly launched statewide youth marijuana education campaign because district leaders doubt the campaign's effectiveness.
The $2 million "Don't Be a Lab Rat" campaign is funded by marijuana taxes, and features ads, a website and several human-sized lab rat cages with messages about pot research.
A cage was to be put up near Boulder High School, but the district objected.
“There isn’t much evidence in the literature that would indicate that these tactics that are associated with this campaign are particularly effective," says Bruce Messinger, Boulder Valley School District superintendent. "There’s actually quite a body of research that scare tactics around drug education is pretty ineffective."
The city of Boulder also declined to host the cage anywhere on city property.
