Case Study: City and County of Denver reduces teen marijuana use with Amélie Company’s High Costs campaign

City and County of Denver drives 81% teen marijuana risk reduction with Amelie Company

The City and County of Denver partnered with Amelie Company to address the challenge of rising underage marijuana use. With marijuana legal and highly accessible in Colorado, traditional "just say no" prevention messages were ineffective with skeptical teens. The specific challenge was to develop a campaign that would resonate with both high school and, more critically, middle school students by providing credible, peer-relevant information instead of scare tactics.

Amelie Company developed the High Costs campaign, an initiative that used bold, metaphor-driven creative content across school posters, social media, and digital video to empower youth with facts. The solution focused on how marijuana disrupts short-term goals teens care about, like motivation and friendships. This strategy delivered significant results: 81% of teens who recalled the campaign said it made them less likely to use marijuana, and the initiative has garnered over 120 million media impressions since 2017. Critically, data showed a decline in marijuana use among high school students in Denver following the campaign's launch.

City and County of Denver