The campaign this year targets marijuana use and was launched on November 17, the beginning of Addictions Awareness Week. As students enter high school, they face some challenging decisions and often hear mixed and incorrect messages, especially when it comes to substance use. By giving young people the facts, they learn to make their own informed decisions. We are encouraging them to draw their own conclusions. That�s an important part of growing up and learning to deal with the pressures and difficult choices they will encounter not just in school but throughout their lives.

This campaign features a series of posters and banner ads on sites popular with youth, including Facebook, MSN and Empire Theatres. Three key facts about marijuana use are highlighted - its effect on ambition and interest, its effect on driving and reaction time, and the harmful and unknown toxins and addictive additives generally found in marijuana.

In the past three weeks since we launched the campaign we have had over 13,000 hits on the campaign site, getuponit.ca, showing that we are reaching youth. We are also giving students an opportunity to design their own clothing line as part of a unique contest to help promote anti-addictions messages.

Students can submit T-shirt designs at getuponit.ca and the winner, who will be decided by online voting, will receive 100 T-shirts and 10 hoodies printed with his/her design. As well, the winner�s school will receive a set of Get Up On It soccer balls. The contest closes tomorrow, so students still have a window of opportunity to get their designs in.

I encourage everyone to visit this website to view the incredible creativity of our youth as their entries literally demonstrate how they have drawn their own conclusions and have chosen to promote anti-addictions messages through their designs.

Reaching youth in our province is key to helping prevent problematic substance use in our society and to protect the health and well-being of our young people.

That�s why we introduced the campaign Get Up On It, to encourage youth to stay real, follow their dreams and not let addictions get in the way of what they want to accomplish in their lives.