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October 26, 2021
Dear Be the Influence (“BTI”) Parents & Caregivers,
We hope that your school year is going smoothly - and that everyone has stayed healthy and dry!
With our kids back to their school routines and after-school activities, and remote learning and socializing in small pods in the rear view mirror, life is seeming more normal. With Covid numbers staying low and boosters on the horizon, it is also more hopeful. With this, our kids are returning to the familiar - the things that give them joy - and the challenges inherent in navigating their academics and social scenes. We hope that BTI can continue to help you support your children as they do so.
ICYMI. Recently, we discovered a glitch in our online sign up process that apparently has existed since January. As a result, members who joined BTI since then were not added to our database and have not been receiving our newsletters. If you are one of those members, please check out what you missed, especially our Back to School for 2021/22 Newsletter and the following blogs:
This newsletter will feature the following:
- TONIGHT'S Event: "The Kids are Not Alright: The Drug Dealers in Their Pockets". Tuesday, October 25th at 6:30 pm at the Mill Valley Community Center. Register here or just show up - vaccinated and wearing your mask of course!
- THIS THURSDAY'S Operation Parent Webinar "The Dangerous Truth about Today's Marijuana" October 28th at 10 am PST. Click here to register or if you can't make it, to receive a recording the next day.
- Emojis to Watch Out For
- What can be done? NEXT WEEK'S Event: "Let's Talk" Community Discussion - "Just Say 'Know'". November 3rd at 7 pm via Zoom (click here to register) and Be the Influence Tips
"THE KIDS ARE NOT ALRIGHT: THE DRUG DEALERS IN THEIR POCKETS"
6:30 PM TONIGHT at the Mill Valley Community  Center! The title of this evening might be jarring, but there is a crisis in our community. Drug dealers these days are just a click away through your child's SnapChat and other social media accounts. Teens and parents alike must get up to speed on what's out there and especially how fentanyl and other substances are taking the lives of young people, many from our Marin community.
If you are able, please make it to this event to learn about today's drugs, the signs and symptoms of use and measures to counteract abuse and overdose - that can save a life. There will be opportunities to ask questions and have discussions with those who have personal experiences with risky substance use.
Parents, teens and caregivers are welcome, and must be vaccinated and wearing masks. To register in advance, click here - or just show up!
If you can't make it to  Mill Valley tonight, please be aware of a new drug that just surfaced in the Bay Area a few weeks ago. Discussed in this KTVU news report in which one of our Marin County moms whose son died of fentanyl poisoning is interviewed, the drug looks like soft, brightly colored, chewed up gum, pictured to the left.
And in case this didn't wake you up, here is another important opportunity to learn about a comparable crisis that has arisen with the commercialization of the cannabis industry ...
"THE DANGEROUS TRUTH ABOUT TODAY'S MARIJUANA"
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28th at 10 am PST. This Operation Parent webinar will feature Colorado mother and activist Laura Stack, recently profiled in this People magazine article.
Laura's 19-year old son, Johnny had been a straight A student with a perfect Math SAT score. Tragically, Johnny died by suicide in No vember 2019 after becoming delusional from "dabbing" high THC marijuana concentrates. Three days before his death, Johnny told his mom that marijuana had "ruined" his life. Since then, Laura's mission has been to educate parents and teens about the dangers of high potency THC cannabis products.
Laura's powerful personal story is supported by science and recent research that today's potent THC products lead to mental illness such as anxiety, depression, paranoia, psychosis, and sadly, suicide ideation. (See this latest study released this week on the doubled rates of vaping cannabis over the past seven years, which includes dabbing, and its effects on adolescent health).
 In our culture and in these times, cannabis has been medicalized, legalized, normalized - and most importantly commercialized - with dramatically increased THC potencies and different forms of consumption from just a few years ago. At the same time, perception of harm, especially by youth, has decreased and use has increased. Thus, it is critical that parents and teens get educated about the risks of today's high THC marijuana products and understand the potentially devastating effects on youth mental health, which is sadly already fragile. Laura's presentation is a clarion call to do so.
Click here to register to learn more on October 28th at 10 am - or if you can't make it, to receive a recording the next day and view at your convenience.
Operation Parent webinars are excellent, by the way. We encourage parents to get on their email list and receive notice of additional events, all of which are recorded, such as the October 13, 2021 "Helping Teens Overcome Anxiety and Depression". This featured a mental health advisor, national health speaker, college success coach and author of "You're Not Alone" and is worth a view.
EMOJIS TO WATCH OUT FOR
While SnapChat may be hard to monitor, here is a sampling of emojis to be on the look out for in your child's texts.
WHAT CAN PARENTS DO ABOUT IT ALL?
Before you throw up your hands and stop reading, breathe! And know there is so much parents can do to prevent adolescent substance abuse and keep it moderate and safe once it begins - so please read on and do not despair! We are all in this together - and now is the time to coalesce around this issue as a community. So read on for how to do so.
NEXT WEEK'S "LET'S TALK: JUST SAY 'KNOW' - NOT 'NO'"- NOVEMBER 3 at 7 pm via Zoom.
"Let's Talk" is a good place to start. In this second of six conversations in the "Let's Talk" Community Discussion series for 2021-22, experts and community partners will explore why it is important for parents and caregivers to discuss the facts of drug and alcohol use with our students and create a trusting dialogue as a foundation.
 Our expert is teacher and health educator Jennifer Epstein and sharing the youth perspective is Archie Williams HS Senior Sophia Pillitteri. Epstein incorporates student voices and current research into her curriculum. She will teach parents and caregivers “how to” have conversations based on facts and data to help you and your child navigate their rapidly changing environment.
Please register for this not to miss event via Zoom on November 3rd at 7 pm here.
These community discussions are sponsored by Marin Healthy Youth Partnerships (MHYP), a local coalition formed to address adolescent substance use in Marin. They are based on two highly informative booklets, "Let's Start Talking" (for middle school parents/caregivers) and "Let's Talk" (for high school parents/caregivers): Toolkits for Navigating Pre-Teen and Teen Substance Use in Marin County. Both can be downloaded here and are available in English and Spanish.
Centered around the idea that with a lot of solid science - and a lot of heart - we can support our youth as they navigate the tough stuff, these are  quick and easy reads.
Although the booklets were mailed in early August to every parent/caregiver of 6th grade ("Let's Start Talking") and 9th grade ("Let's Talk") students attending Marin County schools, they are useful to those with kids of all ages and highlight local conditions that Marin youth face.
If you missed the first community discussion, "Understanding Your Pre-teen/Teen" with Dr. Emily Tejani and Redwood HS student Annika Danne, click here for a recording. To register for future sessions this school year, click on each session below:
HOW BE THE INFLUENCE CAN HELP
Getting to the end of this newsletter is also a good start! But there are many more BTI resources to take advantage of. So be sure to check out our website (Including the "What to Do" section). Scroll through our past blogs for topics of interest. There is much information to share with your child and inform your parenting.
Just as important, reach out to other parents to create community by using our Parent Directory or using other means. Our directory is a powerful tool to create community and find like-minded parents and caregivers who will have your back and eyes on your child to support your family.
 Networking with other parents/caretakers and that is often not easy. BTI makes it so! Determine whether a hosting parent has made the BTI Parent/Caregiver and Family 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 at the beginning of the school year when your child is socializing with new friends or attending parties and sleepovers at homes hosted by those you do not know (or, as if often the case, at homes when no parents are present and may be unaware of the party!)
TIP: If the parent/caretaker sounds unsure, point them to this BTI webpage. It makes the case for why adults should do all they can to DELAY youth substance use and lays out the research on why it is unwise and counterproductive to allow or turn a blind eye toward underage substance use.
That's it for now ... stay tuned for our November pre-holiday newsletter to learn about "Marketing, Modeling and Mindfulness: Alcohol and Cannabis Products Designed to Attract Youth and How Parents Can Model the Behavior They Want to See in Their Children".
—Be the Influence
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