Cannabis Clinic Launches Anti-Stigma Campaign with ABEL

Legal medicinal cannabis clinics have changed everything. No longer do patients have to search for the symbols of illegal drug supply. Access is now simple, credible and in broad daylight.

But alarmingly, two-thirds of New Zealanders still believe there’s a stigma associated with accessing medicinal cannabis (based on research commissioned by Cannabis Clinic).

It’s a stigma that means that Kiwi patients have another unwelcome issue to deal with on top of their need for the product in the first place. Working with the Cannabis Clinic, New Zealand’s leading, independent clinics for medicinal cannabis, ABEL has created a campaign designed to take this on.

The first anti-stigma campaign for medicinal cannabis in New Zealand, the work uses the most enduring symbol of the illegal cannabis trade -- trainers flung over a power line.

Flipping this visual on its head to highlight the conversation that needs to be had -- it’s medicinal, not criminal. With a suite of OOH visuals and social films imbued with the individuality and humanity of real patients, it was launched with a hard-to-ignore specially built billboard on Newton Road courtesy of Bootleg Designs.

Founder, Dr Waseem Alzaher, said, “The goal was to stop people in their tracks and to challenge the shame and stigma surrounding medicinal cannabis that unfairly impacts our patients everyday, despite being legal. We wanted to make a bold statement on behalf of the category that challenges the current conversation. ABEL, One Plus One and the team they built around them were the perfect partners to do it with."

The OOH, shot by Troy Goodall, is designed to embed itself within the fabric of the urban landscape -- with their provocative nature and subtle twist becoming a powerful conversation starter.

The cinematic social films then go a level deeper, bringing to life the personal stories of Cannabis Clinic patients and their journey towards overcoming the stigma they feel everyday. Written and Directed by Supernormal’s Alice Cogin, are a raw and timely wake-up call to a country struggling to look beyond cannabis’ past, instead of openly accepting its medicinal future.

ABEL creative partner Simon Fowler said, “We are incredibly proud to have been entrusted with such a brave and important message by our team at Cannabis Clinic. At ABEL we believe in the power of creativity to drive real change. We hope this work challenges us all to rethink our response to medicinal cannabis patients and realise they’re everyday people like you and me.”