DEA Anti-Cannabis Social Media Contest Offers Amazon Gift Cards to Middle and High School Students

As we prepare to celebrate April 20—also known as 4/20—the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is taking a hardline stance with a digital counter-campaign aimed at teens.

The DEA is encouraging middle and high school students to post anti-cannabis content on Instagram as part of a social media contest launched in collaboration with Discovery Education and the DEA Educational Foundation. Students are being asked to create original posts warning about the risks of cannabis use and upload them by April 20 using the hashtag #420PostContest.

In a bulletin published Tuesday on the DEA’s JustThinkTwice.com site, more details about the campaign emerged. The initiative is being organized in partnership with Johnny’s Ambassadors, an anti-cannabis nonprofit known for promoting prohibitionist views on cannabis and youth prevention. The nonprofit advocates strongly against cannabis legalization, often linking weed to severe mental health issues in youth.

The campaign encourages students to submit images, videos, or graphic designs that discourage cannabis use among peers. Winners will be rewarded with Amazon gift cards, and the top entries will be featured on official DEA and partner channels.

The timing of the campaign is no coincidence—it directly targets the unofficial cannabis holiday, 4/20, which is widely celebrated in cannabis culture around the world. But rather than trying to engage in honest dialogue or education, the DEA is doubling down on decades-old scare tactics that many argue are out of touch with today’s reality.

Why This Campaign Misses the Mark

While the DEA frames this effort as a public health initiative, many see it as a tone-deaf and outdated approach, especially given the rapid shift in public opinion and cannabis policy. Over half of U.S. states have now legalized cannabis in some form, and support for legalization is at an all-time high among adults and even many younger demographics.

Critics argue that encouraging teens to post anti-weed messages on Instagram not only weaponizes peer pressure but also ignores nuanced conversations around harm reduction, mental health, and responsible use. It feels more like propaganda than prevention.

Instead of investing in evidence-based education or harm-reduction strategies, the DEA is pushing a social media contest that feels more like a PR stunt than real prevention. And in a time when federal resources are stretched thin, spending taxpayer money on a campaign that’s unlikely to resonate with teens—especially on a day as culturally entrenched as 4/20—seems like a poor investment.

How do you feel about this campaign by the DEA? Let us know in the comments.