A distressed-looking woman sits on a bed in a dark hotel room . A caption reads , `` Do n't let a candy bar ruin your vacation . '' Prominently on display at a busy Denver intersection , the billboard is a warning about the dangers of marijuana-infused edibles . `` With edibles , start low and go slow , '' it reads . It 's part of a public education campaign launched Wednesday by the marijuana advocacy group , Marijuana Policy Project , urging adults to consume pot responsibly in states where marijuana is legal . The woman on the billboard , red-headed with her forehead in her palm , is an allusion to Maureen Dowd , a columnist for The New York Times who wrote in June that a `` bite or two '' of a chocolate-caramel candy bar left her `` curled up in a hallucinatory state '' for eight hours . `` The problem is that people have just never really been educated about the actual effects of marijuana and marijuana products . They 've simply been told to never use it and they are stupid if they do . And that 's not a very useful education , '' said Mason Tvert , spokesman the Marijuana Policy Project . Serious concerns over marijuana edibles have surfaced since Colorado became the first state in the nation to legalize the sale of marijuana for recreational use . There have been at least two reported deaths following the consumption of marijuana-infused edibles . A 19-year-old foreign exchange student fell from a balcony and died after consuming a cannabis cookie in March . About a month later , a man allegedly shot and killed his wife while reportedly high on pot and other drugs . The victim told a 911 operator moments before the shooting that her husband was scaring her and their children after eating some marijuana-laced candy . Dowd described her own personal experience of eating too much of a marijuana-infused candy bar : . `` I was thirsty but could n't move to get water . Or even turn off the lights . I was panting and paranoid , sure that when the room-service waiter knocked and I did n't answer , he 'd call the police and have me arrested for being unable to handle my candy . '' The column gained national exposure , not all of it positive as many pot advocates and late-night hosts mocked the columnist . Her experience was the inspiration behind the new `` Consume Responsibly '' billboard campaign , organizers say . `` Like most Americans , Ms. Dowd has probably seen countless silly anti-marijuana ads on TV , but she has never seen one that highlights the need to 'start low and go slow ' when choosing to consume marijuana edibles , '' Tvert said . With edibles , it takes longer to feel the effects of THC , marijuana 's psychoactive ingredient , which can lead people to eat too much , then being hit hard by serious side effects that include delirium and psychosis . `` If you smoke ( marijuana ) it 's in your brain almost immediately . So , the effects start very rapidly . You can have an edible and not feel much right away . Up to an hour or two hours , three hours later you can start feeling the effects . It 's slower onset , and it lasts longer , '' said Paula Riggs , director of the division of substance dependence at the University of Colorado School of Medicine . Colorado state regulators are looking into stricter requirements for marijuana edible manufacturers that include better labeling and limiting each package to a single dose , about 10 milligrams of THC . Currently , marijuana dispensaries are selling recreational pot products that contain up to 100 milligrams of THC in a single candy bar . Tvert said he hopes people see the billboard and take the time to really educate themselves about marijuana edibles . The billboard directs people to the campaign 's website , consumeresponsibly.org , which has information about marijuana laws , products and their effects , including negative effects like `` increased heart rate and a sense of paranoia . '' Campaign organizers also plan to put out print and online ads , along with educational materials in marijuana dispensaries .
The Candy Project aims to educate people on the dangers of marijuana edibles . NYT 's Maureen Ryan 's column on nightmarish experience with candy bar was inspiration . There have been at least three reported deaths following the use of marijuana - infused edibles . Pot 's effects last longer with edibles than smoking , leading some users to eat too much .