Giant Marijuana Joint is Latest Tactic in CDOT's Drugged Driving Campaign

DENVER—The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)'s Dangerous Combinations campaign is a statewide effort to educate Coloradans on the dangers of driving while high on marijuana. To demonstrate what can happen if you get behind the wheel when impaired, a giant three-dimensional billboard has been installed in downtown Denver showing a crashed vehicle.

In a self-reported survey conducted last year by CDOT, 55 percent of marijuana users reported driving high in the preceding 30 days. According to 2016 data from the Colorado State Patrol, nearly one out of every five DUIs in Colorado involves marijuana.

The billboard features a mangled car that resembles a marijuana joint and even glows at night. It's accompanied by a simple but honest headline: "Hits Lead to Hits, Don't Drive High."

At 28 feet tall, the installation is hard to miss. It features LED lights that shine throughout the evening hours. Strategically placed on the side of the Courtyard Marriott at Curtis Street and 16th Street Mall, the installation sends an important message in a heavily trafficked area.

"There are six marijuana dispensaries within a mile of the billboard, so it's very likely marijuana users will see it," said CDOT Communications Manager Sam Cole. "It's also located downtown among scores of hotels where tourists may be staying. Some of these tourists may be unaware of the laws—and dangers—of driving high."

Download additional photos of the wall scape and view other campaign materials.