Guwahati, Oct 16 Assam Police’s latest anti-drug campaign ‘Think Before You Dope’ has clocked approximately 4.6 million views in just three days, striking a chord with young audiences on social media, officials said on Friday.
The campaign, rolled out between October 10 and 13, used sharp, witty and visual creatives in English and Assamese to open conversations on drug abuse, peer pressure and exploitation.
“We have consistently used the language and idioms of social media, its humour, wordplay and cultural references to connect with people, particularly younger people on issues that matter,” Assam Police DGP Harmeet Singh told PTI.
With #ThinkBeforeYouDope, the Assam Police is using that understanding to carry a serious and very relevant message, he added.
“When young people share it in their own circles, they not only become part of the conversation against drugs, but add serious resonance to the message,” Singh asserted.
Salik Khan, Creative Consultant of Assam Police, said that the campaign has drawn approximately 4.6 million views, demonstrating how a serious public message can find an audience when its delivery connects with their everyday lives.
“Connecting with Gen Z requires more than being present on the platforms they use. It requires understanding their humour, recognising the pressures they face and communicating without talking down to them,” he added.
An official of Assam Police’s Social Media Centre ‘Nagarik Mitra’ said that through English and Assamese creatives, the force has used wit to open conversations about peer pressure, drug dependence and exploitation on social media.
Lines like ‘Your nose has one job. Breathing. Not snorting’ turned a simple observation into an anti-drug message, while ‘Your dealer isn’t your friend. You’re his recurring payment’ challenged the trust and familiarity that can draw young people into drug use, he emphasised.
The senior official said the humour gives the message an entry point, while the seriousness of the issue remains central and each creative is designed to make people pause, think and pass the message on.
“This approach builds on Assam Police’s record of widely shared digital campaigns. Initiatives such as #DontBeASharent, addressing children’s privacy online, and #ThinkBeforeYouBelieve, encouraging citizens to question AI-based synthetic media and misinformation, have brought public concerns into conversations shaped by digital culture,” he added.
The response of such campaigns offered another example of what public communication can achieve when it is rooted in an understanding of its audience, the official in the social media wing said.
“For us, such communication is an opportunity to build trust, encourage dialogue and make citizens active participants in awareness. Assam Police urges young people, parents, educators and communities to carry the conversation forward and support a drug-free Assam,” he added.
(PTI News)
