Almost anyone who has come of age in the past several decades knows that smoking tobacco is addictive and causes lung cancer, and drunken driving can kill. But, according to the commission’s report, just half of survey respondents know marijuana can be addictive, only 48 percent stated correctly that marijuana smoke can be harmful, only 20 percent knew that regular marijuana use can increase the risk of psychosis and schizophrenia, and 63 percent of respondents thought incorrectly that marijuana can help cure or prevent cancer.

The potential harms are also evident from the survey, with 9 percent of respondents who used cannabis in the past 12 months saying they had sought medical care to treat adverse effects.

“When I talk to high school students, we know we’ve done a good job educating young people about alcohol and nicotine. If we quiz those same people about cannabis, they’re not going to do well,” Kevin Hill, chief of addiction psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, told the editorial board. Hill said he’s not surprised residents did poorly on the latest survey, but “I’m shocked at how poorly they did.”

The survey also found significant numbers of people engaging in risky behavior around marijuana use. While 72 percent of respondents know it can be dangerous to drive or operate machinery after using marijuana, 14 percent reported driving within two hours of using marijuana during the past year and 21 percent reported being a passenger in a car where the driver recently used marijuana.

Many cannabis users also reported using marijuana with another substance like alcohol, cigarettes, or other drugs, with 48 percent of cannabis users reporting that they used cannabis and alcohol at the same time. This can cause unintended health risks — for example, alcohol can intensify the effects of marijuana, causing greater impairment or symptoms like vomiting. Marijuana combined with prescription medication can change the medication’s efficacy or enhance side effects.

One potential reason people can experience adverse health effects is that marijuana is more potent than in the past, so older people who smoked previously may be unfamiliar with newer products. “If what you know about cannabis is informed by earlier products, you’re really going to misunderstand what’s happening with products today,” Sharon Levy, chief of addiction medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, told the editorial board.

The Cannabis Control Commission report proposes that the state fund and launch another marijuana-focused public education campaign, with a focus on preventing youth use and raising awareness of marijuana’s potential harms.

State officials last ran a $2 million education campaign, called More About Marijuana, in 2018-2019, aimed at teaching adults and parents about the new law and risks to youth. An impact report found the campaign was effective in raising awareness about youth prevention and the risks of behavior like impaired driving.

But education can’t be a one-time thing. The Legislature should fund and regulators should conduct a new education campaign. The commission report also suggests commissioners collaborate with other state agencies and educators to create and disseminate evidence-based educational materials across commission websites and social media.

As Commissioner Kimberly Roy told the editorial board, “Public awareness campaigns are one of the most powerful tools we have to promote public health and safety — and when they are well-designed, adequately resourced, and aligned with policy, they can make a real difference in youth prevention, safe and responsible social consumption, and impaired driving.”

But government can’t be the only solution. Educators who work with teenagers and young adults should talk with them about the risks of using marijuana and, if they use, how to use responsibly. While the legal age for consuming marijuana in Massachusetts is 21, among all cannabis users surveyed, the mean age when someone first used was 19.5. Physicians need to be educated so they can inform patients about how a prescription medication or medical condition would interact with marijuana.

Massachusetts adults have the right to buy and use tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana. But anyone who chooses to consume should have the information they need to make responsible choices.

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Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us @GlobeOpinion.