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January 29, 2020
Dear Be the Influence (“BTI”) Parents,
Happy 2020! We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and is having a good start to the new year.
This newsletter will cover the following topics and link to a new blog on our website:
- Alcohol: What are Teens and Young Adults Drinking?
- "Looking the Other Way" for Older Teens and/or at Parties
- Vaping Nicotine and Cannabis: The Latest Count and Breakdown of the Numbers, New Cannabis Vaping Product and New Research on Cannabis
- Fentanyl: The Poisoning Outbreak Continues
- Super Bowl Sunday: DUI Checkpoints and Parental Modeling
- Upcoming Parent Ed Author Events in Marin and San Francisco
- BTI Resources: The Top 5 Ways Take Advantage of BTI, including How to Reach Out for Professional Help and Learn about Local Support
- Donate to BTI.
WHAT TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS ARE DRINKING
Its no surprise that new products are constantly coming onto the market and many are made to entice youth. The latest craze is a flavored, low calorie low carb (100 calories and 2 grams of carbs/sugars) hard (vodka) seltzer in a can called White Claw Hard Seltzer. White Claw was introduced in 2016, dominates the hard seltzer industry and has become ubiquitous at teen parties. It comes in five fruit flavors and is owned by Mark Anthony Brands, which also owns Mike's Hard Lemonade.
In addition to teens, White Claw is becoming more popular than wine among millennials and it's shaking up the alcohol industry.
The good news is that the alcohol by volume content is 5% for a standard 12-ounce can. White Claw is the same as a standard 12-ounce can of beer, which contains between 4-7% alcohol by volume, as well as a standard 5-ounce serving of wine, which is generally 11-13%. Thus, drinking a can of White Claw is potentially less intoxicating than taking multiple chugs from a handle of vodka, chased by a sip of a soft drink (which is also common at big parties). Yet teens and college students a re not known to drink moderately or responsibly and often binge drink for the purpose of getting very drunk.
Obviously, teen and young adult brains are still developing, and alcohol can affect their ability to learn and remember, impairing academic performance. And such alcohol use has also been linked to future health problems, delinquency, suicide, and auto accidents. So when it comes to drinking alcohol, the old adage is true: It doesn’t matter what you drink, it’s really how much that counts.
"LOOKING THE OTHER WAY"...
Each child is different as are parent-child relationships and family dynamics. BTI focuses on the importance of "delay" of substance use since the longer a child delays, the more their brain can develop and healthy habits and ways of socializing can be established. However, by the time junior or senior year of high school rolls around, many parents, including BTI parents, make a decision to loosen the reigns, especially if the student has demonstrated trustworthiness, moderation and responsibility.
BTI's Parent Agreement is not about your own child and whether or not you allow your child to engage in substance use. Rather, its about other people's children when it comes to hosting teens at your house and allowing substance use.
If you are going to do so, e.g., either provide alcohol, cannabis or "look the other way" on substance use in your home (or elsewhere if you are hosting a teen party or gathering), then please delete your name from the BTI Parent List (i.e., the list of parents who have made the Parent Agreement to only host parties that are substance-free). This is important so that other parents don't assume your party will be supervised and substance-free (to the best of your ability). You may email us to remove your name - no explanation needed or judgment at all. And of course, you may still continue to receive our newsletters!
Just remember that hosting a party with underage drinking exposes parents - and teens ages 18 and over - to civil and criminal liability under Social Host Ordinances, civil lawsuits and criminal laws such as "contributing to the delinquency of a minor". See "Legal Consequences of Substance Use in Your Community." As a result, potentially serious risks are involved.
See also this blog entitled "The Research on Parents Who Provide a Place to Party or Provide Alcohol".
Our blog entitled "Now What? What to Do When Your Child is Drinking and Using Substances" offers advice for parents of older teens.
READ OUR NEW BTI BLOG ON THE LATEST COUNT AND BREAKDOWN OF VAPING ILLNESSES, DATA ON USAGE, NEW PRODUCTS AND RESEARCH
THE VAPING ILLNESSES CONTINUE. The hospitalizations and deaths from lung vaping illnesses have faded from the headlines but the numbers on hospitalizations, deaths and use continue to rise. Blaming black market cannabis vape devices doesn't tell the whole story. This new blog will catch you up on the ongoing vaping epidemic of both nicotine and cannabis, Pax Lab's new JUUL-like cannabis vape pen and research on the risks of heart disease, and head and neck cancer. Also read our November 2019 blog on the vaping crisis here.
FENTANYL: The Poisoning Outbreak Continues
On January 22, 2020, Dr. Matt Willis, Marin County Public Health Officer and Mary Jane Burke, Marin County Schools Superintendent, sent out a Fentanyl Overdose Risk Alert to parents which reported approximately 13 fentanyl related overdose deaths in Marin County in 2019. Sources say the number is actually significantly higher when it includes Marin young adults who have died outside of Marin, e.g., where they attend college or are working.
Dr. Willis wrote that the number is higher than all prior years combined, and that similar increases are being seen in the greater Bay Area. He explained that an increasing number of fentanyl overdoses are occurring among people using other substances such as Cocaine, Methamphetamine (for  which other sources say we are also seeing increasing numbers) and counterfeit pills resembling Xanax, Percocet and others.
In particular, according to Marin County law enforcement, most of the counterfeit Xanax pills on the street in Marin are laced with fentanyl these days. Xanax is popular among college kids and young adults. It is sometimes taken with alcohol and also Adderall to reduce test anxiety. Moreover, street Xanax is typically sold in a bar form scored with several doses in one pill. Users sometimes pop the entire bar.
Dr. Willis warned that in Marin County most people who died of fentanyl overdoses had ingested multiple substances such as alcohol, cannabis, stimulants and other sedatives. Dr. Willis and Mary Jane Burke remind parents to talk with their children and alert them to current risks. Warn them to only take pharmaceutical pills prescribed by their doctor and only as directed to them.
To view the letter from Dr. Willis and Superintendent Burke, click here. For an excellent commentary by RAND Corporation researchers on Fentanyl and why it should be treated as a poisoning outbreak and not a drug epidemic, click here.
SUPER BOWL SUNDAY
This Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers are in the Super Bowl! That means fun watch parties, spirited cheering for the home team - and alcohol - whether on TV in multimillion dollar advertising, at home or in the local bars.  Bear in mind that your actions with respect to your own substance use have an impact on your children. It's so important to model moderation and responsibility. See this Blog featuring a student-written article on the effects of parent partying on their children. Also read this Blog on a campaign in Marin that is changing norms on alcohol at youth events.
Also, be aware that DUI Checkpoints will be in effect throughout certain areas and law enforcement is reminding citizens that a "DUI Doesn't Just Mean Booze" and that marijuana and prescription drugs can also be impairing. Read this Blog about Driving Under the Influence of Cannabis. If you have been partying, be sure to use a designated sober driver, ride share service, taxi or public transportation. And if hosting a party, offer non-alcoholic drinks and monitor drinking levels and how those who have been drinking will be getting home.
GO NINERS!
UPCOMING PARENT ED EVENTS IN MARIN AND SAN FRANCISCO
BOOK PASSAGE CORTE MADERA AUTHOR EVENTS
Book Passage, a book store in Corte Madera, is featuring the following two upcoming speakers, which should be of interest to parents:
Madeline Levine, former Redwood High School parent and NYT best-selling author of "The Price of Privilege", will discuss her new book entitled “Ready or Not: Preparing our Kids to Thrive in an Uncertain and Rapidly Changing World". Thursday, February 20th at 7 pm. Come early as this free event will be crowded!
Christine Carter, head of UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center and author of "Raising Happiness", will discuss her new book entitled “The New Adolescence: Raising Happy and Successful Teens in an Age of Anxiety and Distraction”. Dr. Carter will be appearing with Chris Mazzola, Head of School of Branson. Wednesday, March 4th at 7 pm.
All events are free and are at Book Passage at 51 Tamal Vista Boulevard, Corte Madera, CA 94925
SAN FRANCISCO AUTHOR EVENT
Madeline Levine will also be appearing to discuss her new book at the Katherine Delmar Burke School at 7070 California Street, San Francisco on Tuesday, February 4th at 7 pm. The cost is $15 per person.
THE TOP 5 WAYS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF BTI'S RESOURCES
In addition to reading these newsletters, here are the top 5 ways to take advantage of all the resources that BTI offers:
1. Reach out to other parents through our Parent Directory! It is so important to network with other parents and that is often not easy. BTI makes it so! Determine whether a parent hostin g a teen party has made the BTI Parent Agreement. If so, become each other's allies. If not, consider mentioning BTI or send them an email by our Refer A Friend feature. This is especially useful when your child is socializing with new friends or attending parties and sleepovers at homes hosted by parents who you do not know (or, as if often the case, at homes when the parents are not present and are unaware of the party!)
2. Visit our Website! Useful pages to check out include:
and much more! New content is being added regularly, so visit our website often. And don't forget our website feature called Talk Space, in which parents can ask questions and post tips.
3. Read our Blog! Topics from the past school year include:
and much more!
4. Follow Us on Facebook. We post news on adolescent substance use, new research findings and information about upcoming events in our community
5. Email Us for Help If You Are Concerned About Your Child!
 If you are worried that your child may have a substance use issue, listen to your gut and seek help. BTI can point you to local resources for support. We have an extensive list of resources in Marin and San Francisco and also can inquire of our colleagues in other areas. If professional help is needed, it is critical to find someone with specific experience in substance use and addiction. There are many approaches to dealing with this issue and one size does not fit all, Help may come in the form of group or individual therapy, intensive outpatient programs, residential treatment centers, wilderness programs and support groups for parents. Early intervention is important, and it is far easier to address these issues while your child is still a minor and living at home. Email us if you need help. We will keep all information confidential.
DONATE TO BTI!
Be the Influence is a 501c()(3) organization. It is a labor of love and run by a staff of one who receives no salary and often makes out-of-pocket expenses. If you like what we are doing, please consider making a donation by going to the BTI website.
That's it for now. Stay tuned for more 2020 BTI Newsletters!
— Be the Influence
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