• by Les Luchter , July 28, 2025

For New Jersey parents who may have been “dazed and confused” by cannabis in their youth and have now sired teenagers of their own, a new billboard warns that “More than just music has changed since the ‘90s. The pot your kids are smoking is 307% more potent.”

The billboard, which launched today and will run in various locations across the state through year’s end, is the first wave of a broader two-year awareness campaign from the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) that will add TV and radio PSAs in the first quarter of 2026. The board was created in-house, with outdoor space donated by Interstate Outdoor and Travel Plaza Media.

The ad shows an image of a boom box and a skateboard and directs parents to drugfreenj.org,  where parents can learn more about the dangers of today’s pot. That includes findings published in Addiction that average THC concentrations in cannabis have increased by more than 200% over the past few decades. A Scientific American article notes that “regular use of high-potency cannabis can lead to a fivefold increase in the risk of psychosis, especially in adolescents whose brains are still developing.”

New Jersey isn’t the first state with an ad campaign warning citizens about the increased potency of today’s cannabis. Colorado, for example, launched “The Tea on THC” last winter, focusing on the health risks of high concentrations of that ingredient, including psychosis, cognitive impairment, mood swings, and the increased risk of car accidents,

"We created this campaign as a wake-up call,” Elaine Pozycki, chair of PDFNJ, said in a statement. “Parents need to understand the risks of today's high-potency cannabis products and talk with their kids before use begins."

Since launching in 1992, PDFNJ says it’s received more than $200 million in donated broadcast time and print space, “making [this] the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jersey's history.”